What do you do if you're faced with challenging situational interview questions in executive coaching?

As a seasoned executive coach with 16+ years of experience, I excel in crafting LinkedIn content that delves into dissecting situational interview questions. My expertise lies in unraveling complex business challenges and interpersonal conflicts, considering all stakeholders and potential outcomes. Through strategic analysis and foresight, I help professionals showcase problem-solving prowess and leadership acumen in their responses, while emphasizing risk mitigation and achieving desired objectives. Let's elevate your interview game together.

It's critical to always start with context. It's also helpful to understand the differences between perspective and perception. If you can help your client learn the difference, you can start working towards the desired outcome.

hink about it - you've conquered similar challenges before, right? Reflect on those victories and let them shine in your responses. By sharing concrete examples of how you've navigated tough situations in the past, you're not just answering the question; you're showcasing your skills and accomplishments in action. ?? It's all about painting a vivid picture of your executive capabilities, one success story at a time. So, next time you're prepping for that big interview, remember to draw from your own playbook of triumphs. Your experiences are your greatest asset - use them to shine!

People often laugh at me when I tell them this is a tried and true framework. I can be verbose if I'm "winging" it. The STAR framework helps keep me within the guardrails. Ultimately, the other party wants a vision of the outcomes and how you will positively impact them and the company.

Think that unflustered calm is your superpower. Start by acknowledging the curveball – "This is an interesting wrinkle. Tell me more..." Embrace the unknown and dance in the moment – "I'm curious, how does this unpredictable situation make you feel?" Demonstrate on-the-fly learning and try to get the coachee to look at the problem from a different perspective—"Perhaps reframing the challenge through X lens could be helpful?" This showcases agility, composure, and the ability to think creatively under pressure, even stepping out of one's comfort zone—hallmarks of an adaptable executive coach.

The details do matter. Make sure you have depth to the response. Otherwise, you will lose when they ask the second question to dive deeper. Doing this succinctly will show that you can think on your feet and do it with brevity and outcomes in mind.

As an executive coach, it is part of what we expect to be faced with challenging questions that is part of our role. And as a coach, it is our position to often times offer insight through the form of questions to help the person we are coaching, start to understand, and be able to answer their own questions. As coaches, it is not our job to answer all the questions for them, but to be able to offer inside to be able to help them answer their own questions from within themselves. An executive coach can do that then they will be successful and helping people be able to see more value of themselves and do more with their lives.

Offering insight is helpful. As a coach, asking great questions and letting them get to the answer is more impactful. That's a reality that so many leaders with experience struggle with. It's easier to provide the answer but they aren't learning.

Be honest with yourself about why this specific question might have been difficult for you. Reflect on it, process it, learn from it. Once you have done that, you are richer and you grew from the experience.