What do you do if your interviewee lacks leadership experience?

Leadership is all about creating meaningful relations, inspiring others to reach their potential, empowering others, accepting challenges, being empathetic and authentic. The new leader might not be able to uncover their leadership experience. Before the interview, he should jot down his achievements, challenges faced & handled, lead projects and teams, inspired and motivated peers; all this will help him to display his leadership abilities during an interview.

Sometimes, new leaders may not know they are or were a leader. It could be things they've done all this while that it never occurred to them "hey, that's leadership". Couple with the fact that leadership is a dynamic skill. Some keywords that you can ask to trigger or unearthed relevant experiences are "lead", "monitor", "volunteer", such as "what projects have you lead?", "what was your contribution / what did you do in the project?".

Leadership isn't only about taking initiative or making big decisions. It can also be found in moments of collaboration and teamwork, where individuals contribute their unique skills and perspectives to achieve a common goal. Rather than focusing solely on individual actions, I believe in highlighting the collective effort and shared responsibility within a team. By asking about instances where someone played a supportive role, facilitated communication, or encouraged collaboration, you can uncover valuable leadership qualities that may go unnoticed. After all, true leadership isn't always about being at the forefront; it's about empowering others and fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual respect.

Use behavioral interview questions to uncover examples of the candidate's behavior, actions, and accomplishments that demonstrate leadership potential. Ask about situations where they took initiative, motivated others, resolved conflicts, or achieved results in a team setting. Next, look for transferable skills and competencies that are relevant to leadership roles, such as communication skills, problem-solving abilities, decision-making skills, adaptability, resilience, and emotional intelligence. Assess how effectively the candidate demonstrates these skills in their past experiences and interactions.

Many individuals engage in leadership activities -- through their family responsibilities, volunteer activities, or even their hobbies -- yet they may not see these as "important" enough to mention in an interview. This is why curiosity is so critical to a successful interview -- have a real desire to truly understand the interviewee as a whole person, and you can uncover competencies that even the interviewee may not be fully aware of!

Select scenarios that are relevant to the role and reflect the types of challenges and decisions the candidate may encounter in a leadership position. Tailor the scenarios to focus on skills and competencies that are important for leadership, such as problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and teamwork. Next, probe for insights by asking follow-up questions to delve deeper into the interviewee's thought process and decision-making rationale. Ask why they would approach the situation in a particular way, what factors they would consider, and how they would address potential challenges or obstacles.

When you don't have direct leadership experience. Take a hypothetical experience and use STAR technique to explain how you would have handled these leadership challenges. Using a small example, where you have demonstrated your leadership abilities will also make a difference. What makes a difference is, how you use your leadership skills/ abilities in challenging situation, whether small or big.

Ask the interviewee situation-based questions which will further help you to know how they might help the team if any problem occurs. One can also ask questions about their previous experiences to know more about their problem solving attitude as well as skills.

Explore the interviewee's past experiences, including academic, professional, and extracurricular activities, to gain insights into their skills and capabilities. Ask about their roles, responsibilities, accomplishments, and challenges faced in previous positions or projects. Also, use behavioral interview questions to assess the interviewee's skills, abilities, and past experiences in various situations. Ask about specific examples where they demonstrated key skills relevant to leadership, such as decision-making, conflict resolution, delegation, and teamwork.

Being aware of what Leadeship skills you have, what are needed and what are gaps between the two. Focused on developing the skills which you don't have will give you an edge. Take support of the executive coach or mentor to understand where the gap is and how to build this gap.

Values and character are equally important as Leadership skills. The difference? The latter is honed over the years. As long as the applicant imbibes and resonates his personal and professional values with that of the company’s, the foundational elements will be valuable in developing leadership abilities and skills. To be able to lead effectively, inspire others along with the direction of achieving shared objectives, one’s values and character will serve as solid foundation to effective leadership. After all, leadership is more than what you can do, it’s actually who you are.

Who the person is can sometimes be exponentially more important than what their resume says they are. I pay attention to body language and have a few very simple questions that appear to be ice breakers, but go a long way in helping me get past generic responses. If you know your organization, then you know what kind of person for whom you're looking. If all they're missing is "leadership," you're in great shape. "Leadership" is a skill that you learn by failing more than succeeding. There are a few of us who have failed enough to have figured a few things out, and a lot more who are ready for those first few stumbles - you can develop them into the kinds of leaders you want by how you guide them through the falling and getting back up.

Clearly communicate the organizational values and culture to the interviewee during the interview process. Explain how these values guide decision-making, behavior, and interactions within the organization, and emphasize their importance in driving success and alignment. Next, probe for cultural fit by asking questions that assess the interviewee's fit with the organization's culture, values, and working environment. Inquire about their preferences, work style, and expectations for workplace culture to gauge alignment with the organization.

In assessing candidates with limited leadership experience, I've found value alignment to be a strong indicator of potential. A candidate whose values resonate with our organisational culture often demonstrates a natural inclination towards leadership roles, even without formal experience. I prioritise understanding their core values and how they've applied them in past roles, which often reveals latent leadership qualities. Focusing on value alignment can uncover candidates who are likely to thrive and lead effectively within your team's dynamic.

Values are the foundation and guiding compass of the organization. As a leader you should be well aware of organisational values, culture and its alignment with your values. Share with the interviewer the alignment of your values with organisational values and culture and how crucial it is for your as well as organisational progress. Strong cultural fit is vital for leadership positions and sustainable future of the organization.

Leadership is a continuous learning and development process. In today's fast paced VUCA world, people are not only looking for experience, but also for mindset and attitude towards learning & open for challenges. By asking the questions using STAR technique to know, how they faced challenges, managed conflict, worked with the team, self & others development, the answers to these questions will reveal the candidate's potential for a leadership role.

When interviewing candidates with limited leadership experience, I see a prime opportunity for mentorship. In my practice, integrating mentorship programs has proven essential in nurturing potential leaders. By pairing candidates with seasoned leaders, they gain direct insights and practical skills essential for their growth. This approach not only builds leadership capabilities but also enhances commitment and loyalty, creating a supportive pathway for their professional development.

During the interview, if you found that the candidate is a right fit, but lacks leadership abilities, as the interviewer needs to explore the possibility of mentoring or leadership training which will help to bridge the gap. During the interview talking about these learning opportunities with the candidate will help you to gauge the candidate's outlook towards learning, but also it helps to demonstrate the company's EVP towards nurturing, developing and attracting talents.

Explore and solidify the Leadership Models your organization grounds itself on. Then present and explore which model resonates most with interviewees and who they connect with to continually grow that skill.

Il faudrait aussi évaluer la personnalité de leaders par des tests psychomoteurs pour mieux comprendre leurs traits de caractère, leur motivation et leurs styles de leadership. Un des éléments récents des études en leadership, c’est l’intelligence spirituelle. Ont-ils un sens de spiritualité, ont-ils une vision holistique des problèmes, ils ont un sens élevé de valeurs et de la mission? Ces éléments sont importants pour détecter le leadership caché chez un individu.

One additional point to consider how unconscious bias may impact how an organization identifies what a leader "should" look like. It is not uncommon for organizational leaders to limit their definition of leadership based on their own preconceptions regarding everything from education to marital status. It is therefore critical to raise awareness around these preconceptions to ensure that they don't unintentionally impact the organization's ability to identify future leaders.

How the interviewer can ensure positive experience for the candidate: - sharing job description - checking with candidate about his understanding of JD or he needs any clarity. - give full attention during interview. - making him comfortable. - giving clarity about interview process - use STAR technique for asking questions to gauge the candidate's job fit. - answer the questions to give clarity - explain to candidate what are the opportunities available.