This Article We Have Asked Our Panel of Experts for the Top Interview Questions

n this article we have asked our panel of experts for the top interview

questions.  We have also included pointers on how to deal with them.

Also, if you are recruiting for staff you may find that this provides you with a

few tricky questions to ask. 

Almost all interviews will include a competency based element. There are

many different questions that the interviewer can use to determine whether

you possess certain competencies. However, by matching the role profile

competencies to specific examples from your past in preparation for the

interview, you will be able to cover most eventualities.

During the interview make the right first impression…..

1.  “Why do you want to work here?”

To answer this question you must have researched the company.  Reply

with the company’s attributes as you see them and how your qualities

match them.

About you…..

2.  “Tell me about yourself.”

This is not an invitation to ramble on.  If the context isn’t clear, you need to

know more about the question before giving an answer.  Whichever

direction your answer ultimately takes, be sure that is has some relevance

to your professional endeavours.  You should also refer to one or more of

your key personal qualities, such as honesty, integrity, being a team player,

or determination.

Mark Lightburn

3.  What is the biggest challenge you have faced in work in the past 12 months?

This is often an opening question, as it allows you to use one of your

strongest examples and may help you relax. To the interviewer it is also an

indication of where your natural focus or achievements may be – people

development, process, cost reduction, change etc.

Mark Lightburn, Artis Recruitment (www.artiscc.co.uk)

4.  “What do you know about the centre/company/role?”

You are not required to be an expert on the organisation or role, but a

genuine interest and basic understanding is expected.  If you are working

with a recruitment consultant then they should be able to provide you with

extra details and assist with preparation. In addition, look for and use press

releases, corporate and social websites. Ring the call centre to see how

they handle your call: do they offer ‘up-sell’, ‘cross-sell’, how was the

service? Read the job description to prepare for this question, a few key

facts or some knowledge show a genuine interest and commercial

awareness.

5.  “Why do you want this job?”

Whilst more money, shorter hours or less of a commute are all potential

factors for your next role, they are unlikely to make you the ‘stand out’

candidate of the day. Know what the company are looking for, the potential

job available and align this with your career to date.  Highlight your relevant

experience, goals and aspirations in line with the role, to showcase why

you are the best person for the job.

6.  “How would your team/manager describe you?”

Try to think about how you would describe yourself if someone asked you

for your strengths, then relate these to what people say about you; peers,

agents, managers and stakeholders.  Have three or four at the ready,

ideally in line with the role you are being interviewed for.  Have the

examples or situations ready, in case your interviewer wants to drill down

as to why you think or believe these are your key strengths.

7.  “What is your biggest achievement?”

If possible, think work related. There will hopefully be a number of things

you are most proud of in your career to date.  Think about your key

achievements, were they commercial, people or process orientated? What

was the cause and effect? How were you involved, what was improved,

saved or developed? If you are short on career-based examples then use

personal achievements which demonstrate the commercial skills required

for the role, such as team work, commitment, empathy, determination,

attention to detail, etc.

8.  “Can you give me an example of… ?”

Michelle Ansell

These questions will more often than not be based around the role

competencies.  Preparation and rehearsal are key to answering these

effectively.  You will need two or three instances of how you may have:

delivered change, managed conflict, improved performance, reduced

absence, increased customer satisfaction, etc.  You need to be able to

clearly and concisely communicate the problem, solution and outcome.

9.  “What have you done to promote great customer service?”

Firstly, know what you think great customer service looks like. Look for

situations and examples when you had an idea, a client, or customer call,

where you personally went that extra mile. Did you change a process or

procedure? Or perhaps a staff member you mentored, coached or advised

delivered a great customer service win or result for your team, brand or

business.

10.  “What are the key factors which make a successful call centre?”

Fundamentally, if you look under the skin of the best teams and call

centres, they do have certain things in common: clear communication,

environment, consistency, fun, performance management, leadership,

engagement, incentives, etc.  Think what made up the best team or

company you have been a part of or have seen. Have examples to back up

any statements for how you would play a part in, or create, this team or

environment yourself.

11.  “How do you manage change?”

Change is an essential part of life in any call centre environment, as the

industry strives to achieve best practice for their customers and

stakeholders.  Have some examples on how you personally managed, or,

were affected by some change. What was your focus, what were you

aiming to achieve and how did you deliver the outcome? Know what the

problems encountered were and what was learnt through and following the

transformation.

12.  “What was your reason for leaving?”

Wherever possible be positive, even if your role was short term or didn’t

quite work out as expected as it will have added extra experience, industry

or skills to your career history. Although you are now looking to move on,

acknowledge what you learned and what was on offer at the time.

Demonstrate your good reasons for the decisions you made and that you

understood what was to be gained, or acknowledge what you have learnt

from past employer experiences.

Michelle Ansell, Douglas Jackson (www.douglas-jackson.com)

13.  “Give me an example of how you have dealt with an under-performing team member in the past.”

This question is a typical example of competency-based interviewing (CBI)

in practice. It is the most popular interview approach, based on the premise

that future performance can be predicted by past behaviour. The best way

to prepare for CBIs is to revisit the job description and person specification

before your interview and ensure that you have covered off all bases and

can comfortably provide examples for each competency. You must be able

to describe the particular scenario, the actions you took and the impact it

had on the business. Approach this particular question by outlining the

processes you followed to investigate and resolve this issue. It is also

important to explain the outcome. For example, you may have set an

agenda of required actions following on from the meeting you held with the

particular team member – can you describe what that was? If you created a

performance plan that included clear training and development objectives

make sure you say so. Always finish by explaining how the action you took

impacted on the business, for example, the team member started to meet

all targets and bring in more revenue.

14.  Within the interview process you may be required to perform a role-play. A popular example of this is being asked to role-play an escalated call with an unhappy customer.

It is vital to have clear objectives before initiating conversation with the

customer; what is your end goal? Ensure you are aware of the parameters,

rules and regulations within the company. For example, if the issue is over

money, can you refund it? What else can you offer to pacify the customer?

It is important to remain calm, confident, be clear and always remember to

ask questions. The interviewer is looking for a patient and composed

response. If you are still unsure about how best to approach role-plays

contact your local recruitment consultant who should be able to offer you

thorough advice.

15.  “Can you give me an example of a time when you had to motivate and develop a team in a challenging work environment?”

Geoff Sims

During interviews difficult or awkward questions could come your way. The

intention is not to catch you out, but to test how you operate under

pressure. This question is again in the format of CBI; remember to outline

the specific actions you took to motivate your team. Interviewers want to

see evidence of hands-on experience. Make sure to describe all processes

undertaken, for example, did you use incentives to motivate the team or did

you implement training programmes? If you improved internal

communications to help engage staff, make sure you mention it. Did you

implement or revisit career development plans to make the team feel

valued? Did you take the time to understand each individual’s motivations?

Be clear and precise and be sure to convey any previous first-hand

experience you have – they will want to feel confident that you can handle

similar issues within the new role.

Geoff Sims, Hays Contact Centres (www.hays.com/contactcentres/)

16.  “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

Many interviewers will ask you to name your strengths and weaknesses. 

Typically, people find it easier to express their strengths, but struggle when

it comes to identifying even one weakness.  Part of the reason for this may

be that they do not want to disclose a particular weakness, as this may

result in them failing to be successful in getting the job.

A good initial answer (bearing in mind you are applying for a telephone

position) to the ’strengths’, part would be “I have been told that I am an

excellent communicator, especially on the telephone, but I feel I have good

interpersonal skills generally and find it easy to get along with all sorts of

people”.

For weaknesses you need to think of something which is really a strength

but put it across as a weakness. It is also important to make it clear what

you are doing to address that ‘weakness’.

A good example would be “I am a very conscientious worker and I get

irritated by colleagues who don’t share this value and take any opportunity

to take time off work or do the minimum required when they are there.  I am

learning, however, that these people generally get found out and I leave it

to my supervisor to recognise these problems and address them”.

An answer such as this would probably make the interviewer think “well

that’s not such a bad thing, actually”.

17.  Give an example of this behaviour

Having given your strengths and weaknesses, you are then likely to be

asked to give examples of when you have displayed this behaviour.  Your

credibility will plummet if you cannot give an example of the strengths you

have stated.  So, for instance, with the strengths listed above a good

response would be “in my present job, I am often asked to handle difficult

customer situations because my supervisor knows that I will handle them

politely, efficiently and diplomatically and therefore only a few cases would

ever get referred to her. Also, because of my strong interpersonal skills, I

have often been asked to buddy up with new team members, to make them

comfortable in their new role at the earliest stage possible”.

When asked to give examples on the weaknesses, you need to think very

carefully, and plan in advance what your response will be, as many people

dig a very deep hole here.  A good response to the weakness quoted would

be: “I had a situation once where I knew that a more experienced colleague

was regularly absent from work  following nights out drinking, but she would

say that she had a migraine.  When this happened my workload increased

significantly and whereas I undertook this willingly, I must admit I was

annoyed that this person was taking advantage of me and the company. 

However, I decided to let the supervisor do their job and just get on with

mine.  In quite a short space of time, the issue was addressed and the

problem was resolved”.

18.  “Can you give me an example of a particularly difficult customer you had to deal with and how you used your skills to successfully overcome the problem they had?”

Clive Harris

Many interviewees freeze at this question, simply because they cannot

think of an example, rather than the fact that they have never dealt with

one.  So have an answer prepared and make sure it is one where you

resolved the issue, not one where you had to refer the customer to a higher

authority (it’s amazing how many people do this).  What the interviewer is

looking for are the skills you possess in handling difficult customers, not the

intricate detail of the particular issue the customer had.

So, in your pre-prepared answer include the following:

1. I listened carefully to what the customer had to say.

2. I apologised and empathised with their situation.

3. I confirmed my understanding of their concern.

4. I took responsibility to resolve the issue.

5. I offered a solution (plus alternatives if possible).

6. I confirmed the customer was happy with this.

7. I thanked the customer for raising the issue with me.

8. I took immediate action following the call to resolve the situation.

9. I remained calm throughout the whole process.

10. (If appropriate) the customer wrote in to my supervisor congratulating

me on my efficiency.

This may seem like a very long answer, but by explaining the situation,

without going into the minutia of the product or the complaint, your

response need be no more than one minute or so and you will impress your

prospective new employer that you already have the skills necessary to

handle the most difficult calls.

Clive Harris, Specialist Contact Centre Services (www.specialistccs.com)

Other interview questions that you may get asked include the following.  We do not have answers for any of these, so if you have any suggestions, please send them in.

Change Management

19.  “Describe how you have brought about business change through use

of technology and process re-engineering, describing what particular

techniques you have employed, e.g. 6 sigma, Lean management, etc.”

Motivation and Drive

20.  “Tell me about a difficult obstacle you had to overcome recently at

work? How did you overcome this?”

Managing Performance

Mark Lightburn

21.  “Please tell me about a situation where someone was performing badly

in your team.”

22.  “What was the situation?”

23.  “How did you deal with it?”

24.  “What was the outcome?”

Planning and Organising

25.  “How do you plan daily and weekly activities?”

Gathering and Analysing Information

26.  “Please tell me about an occasion you had to analyse a large amount

of complex information which led you to identifying an improvement in

service delivery or cost.”

Commitment to Results

27.  “Please outline and describe your current targets and KPIs – How do

you ensure you achieve these?”

Strategic Thinking and Awareness

28.  “How do you ensure that your department’s goals are in line with the

overall company goals?”

Inspiring Leadership

29.  “Describe a situation in which you inspired trust and respect in your

team.”

30.  “How did you recognise the level of trust or respect your team held for

you and how did you ensure this continued?”

These questions are not complex, they do not have to be long to be

effective, and can be asked in many ways. The structure of your response,

the relevance of the example, its detail and your evident accomplishment

will determine your success.

Mark Lightburn, Artis Recruitment (www.artiscc.co.uk)

Examples of direct interview questions:

31.  “Discuss your current role and your reasons for applying to

organisation.”

32.  “What is your greatest success and achievement to date?”

33.  “How would you measure the success of you and your team over a 3,

6 and 12 month period?”

34.  “If successful in joining the organisation what do you envisage your

biggest challenge will be in joining the organisation as a Sales Team

Leader?”

35.  “How would you manage your time and objectives in your role?”

36.  “How do you keep yourself motivated?”

37.  “What key factors drive you?”

38.  “What attracts you to the position?”

Consider the organisation as an attractive employer and make any

reference to recent success or news– research their website.

Francesca Randle

39.  “How often do you challenge the way your current company does

things or challenge something that you feel needs to change?”

40.  “How creative are you in comparison to your colleagues: i.e. in

incentivising, managing, developing, encouraging and motivating your

team?”

41.  “How do you measure the success of your incentives?”

Examples of competency-based interview questions: (Here you must give strong examples and talk through situations)

42.  “How have you utilised customer feedback to ensure business

excellence?”

43.  “How have you utilised customer complaint feedback to improve how

your team are selling?”

44. “What is your experience of the whole end-to-end feedback process

(talk through this process) and how you ensure this feedback improves the

service to customers?”

45.  “How have you educated your front-line agents to ensure this feedback

results in customer excellence?”

46.  “Give an example when you have been really stretched for a deadline

and how did you achieve it?”

47.  “How do you mange time and priorities?”

48.  “Give an example of an occasion where you have given constructive

criticism to a member of your peer group.”

49.  “Give an example of a time when things happened in work to dampen

your enthusiasm and how did you motivate yourself and your team?”

50.  How do you deal with work issues – how do you demonstrate you are

having a bad day? (would anyone know – do you show it or keep it to

yourself?)

Some key tips:

Must research the organisation fully on the web and available sources of

information: latest company information, performance, etc.

Must demonstrate for a sales position that you are motivated by money and

driving performance with a keen focus on figures.

Need to demonstrate you have drive and are able to think outside the box

when there are problems, whilst following regulations and company

procedures.

Demonstrate that you are brave enough to take risks but not afraid to run

them by your manager first.

Must show and be able to demonstrate/back up examples of your

experience and success to date.

Dos and don’ts:

Do talk about what you have done within your team.

Do not always use the words “the company” or “we”, try to explain

examples and situations as ‘I’.

Do acknowledge mistakes if asked but do put a spin on it that shows you

came round and showed success from it and resolved the issue.

Use the above examples to make sure you give well thought-out answers

and examples to questions.

Make sure you have questions prepared for them (it’s likely that you will be

asked if you have any questions).

At this level organisation are looking  to recruit the leadership team of the

future so bear in mind that they are looking for career-minded individuals

who will progress up the ladder as quickly as possible.

Francesca Randle, Cactus Search (www.cactussearch.co.uk)

All interviews will be different both in structure and the approach taken by the interviewer but I hope the following suggestions may assist in the generic preparation for forthcoming interviews. It is important to note that whilst research and preparation is critical, your adaptability to their questions, being relaxed and confident in your responses must also come through clearly.

Ensure you do your research. Undertake a number of Google searches on

the organisation, look over their website and try to obtain as many

independent articles on the company you can gather from the media or

trade presses. Look to understand more about your interviewer, look to

understand their background. If you are going through an agency ask them

what they know of the person.

Have you been asked any great interview questions?  Do you have better

answers to any of the questions?

One of the most important skills for any leader to learn is how to manage conflict within their team with finesse and confidence.

Face Up To ConflictIt is a fact of life that conflict happens whenever you get a group of people together, even if they all have a common goal. Different personalities, communication styles and sense of priorities mean that conflicts inevitably develop.

Many leaders try to avoid conflict at all costs and when it arises, they tend to manage disagreements inappropriately. What they fail to realise is that conflict is not necessarily a bad thing – they are a normal part of every team’s functioning – and dealing with conflicts constructively can lead to increased productivity, new ideas and personal development for all team members.

Prevent ConflictHaving said all that, prevention is also the best policy so putting a supportive, positive and stable team environment in place will help to reduce the likelihood of conflicts developing.

A good working environment will establish a base level of respect and camaraderie between team members and colleagues and enable all individuals within the group to relax and focus on their responsibilities. Essentially, members of such a group are “friends” and as such, are more likely to respond to each other with kindness and patience.

Related on Leadership Expert...

Handling Conflict Between Leaders

Leadership in Dealing With Conflict

Working With a Business Mentor

Translating Ideas Into Action

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

Dealing With ConflictIf conflict does develop within your team, there are several ways to manage the situation so that conflict can be overcome and everyone can move forward:

Address conflict as soon as possible when it arises – don’t sweep it under the carpet in the hopes that it will go away; this just creates resentment and discontent among colleagues.

Keep the focus on what can be done, not what can not be done – keep things positive.

Remind everyone in the team to “attack the problem, not the person”. Try to encourage honest dialogue between colleagues and welcome

different points of view. Remind team members to express their feelings in a way that does not

blame. Ask everyone (including yourself!) to accept ownership for their part in the

problem. Make sure each member has a chance to speak and that other listen to

understand another person’s point of view, before giving their own. Remind everyone to respect different viewpoints and opinions – all

members of the team are important and deserve equal respect and recognition.

Keep in mind the different communication styles of various team members and how this might be contributing to the conflict at hand.

Sometimes, if conflict becomes too heated and tempers are flaring, it may be better to have a break and let everyone cool off before dealing with the issue again.

After The Fire…Dealing with conflict, even if it is successfully resolved, can be uncomfortable and disconcerting to most team members so it is important that you show leadership to get the team back on track. This can include things like holding a de-briefing meeting to discuss what happened, how it was resolved and how to avoid conflict happening again. It can also mean setting out team rules or having a formal contract between colleagues.

Finally, don’t forget to have a ‘celebration’ with team members, to remind them to their valuable membership and how you are all working towards a common goal together

We all know that leaders are important at all levels but for a large organisation, the ability of the top leader(s) to inspire and lead secondary leaders and

managers can play a huge part in the overall success of the company, business or organisation.

Since the senior managers and leaders are the ones who will be driving performance throughout the rest of the organisation, it is vital that the chief executives at the top know how to get the most from their senior management.

Problems At The Top?Studies done by The Gallup Organisation revealed that unfortunately, many senior managers suffer from “leader-bashing” by their top chief executives. The studies asked "C-level" executives in organizations (such as chief financial officers, chief nursing officers, senior vice presidents, chief operating officers and people in similar roles) to describe their experience and the responses highlighted a growing problem in many organisations: the lack of effective leaders to lead leaders.

Complaints such as the following were common:

“I came into this position with years of confident leadership under my belt. I leave it now questioning if I was ever a leader. I know it is partially my fault for staying with a president whose idea of leadership included coercion, subservience, and threats. He beat his senior team down on every occasion. His edicts were accompanied by threats and penalties. He rarely recognized good work. When he did recognize someone, it was used to point out where others on the team had failed.”

Related on Leadership Expert...

Leadership Opportunities for Children

Some Famous Leaders

Being a Good Team Leader

A Book Club Leader

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

An Effective Leader Of LeadersIn many ways, the same attributes which are required for effective leadership in other settings are needed here as well. So, for example, a good leader of leaders needs to be able to inspire their senior executives to get the best performance from them.

But in addition to this, an effective leader of leaders must try to achieve the following:

Surrender control - An effective leader of leaders does not fall into the trap of trying to micro-manage his/her senior executives. They step back and allow their senior management team to “own” their decisions for their own departments. Instead of spending their time looking over shoulders, they invest it in developing a team they can trust and preparing their senior executives to take control.

This is often the hardest thing for many leaders to do, even experienced ones, and this is why many organisations end up being “overmanaged and underled” and ultimately end up failing. A wise and effective leader realises that their ability to identify “co-leaders” who have more experience, skills and knowledge in their specific areas of responsibility will result in success for both themselves and their organisation.

Discourage “leader-in-training” mentality - A good leader of leaders trains and develops his senior executives to be leaders in their own right, not just executives who wait for the “real” leader to tell them what to do next. They seek out those who have natural leadership ability and they cultivate it.

How do they do this? They choose people on their senior executive team who are anxious to lead and think like leaders. They let them assume ownership and also give them the opportunity to design how their job functions and how their success can be measured. They create an environment where they can capitalise on every ounce of skill and talent the senior executives possess. Most of all, they create and train a team of senior leaders who can develop their own vision of the future.

Encourage vision and imagination - Great leaders of leaders do not hold their executive team back creatively. They want a senior team with great vision in their areas of responsibility. After all, the size of one’s vision often determines the magnitude of the outcome: greater visions result in greater outcomes.

Someone who is a good leader of leaders will encourage their senior team to act boldly so that they can claim a big vision for their area of responsibility. They position their senior executives for success and by doing so, ensure their own success as the top leader, as well as the success of the organisation.

The workplace is one environment where effective leadership is incredibly important. It can mean the difference between success or failure for the company, growth or loss for the business and satisfaction or general discontent among the employees.

Effective leadership in the workplace is about much more than just management: assigning tasks, setting work directions and establishing financial goals.

It is a comprehensive responsibility which involves inspiring and motivating, giving confidence and encouragement, while also providing authority and constructive feedback. managing relationships – and of course, ensuring that all employees understand and share the organisation’s long-term mission and goals.

Know Thyself…One of the key steps to becoming an effective leader in the workplace is reviewing your own leadership style and becoming more aware of your own strengths and weaknesses.

Questions to ask yourself include:

What leadership style do I have? Does my leadership style impact negatively on employees within the

company? Do the decisions I make benefit the whole team or only a few? Does what I say as a leader match up with what I ask my team members

to do?

Leading by example is one of the most important factors in becoming an effective workplace leader. How you conduct yourself as a leader will send out constant messages to your followers – for example, if you come to work only to sit in an executive office, shut away from your team by a closed door and a closed mind, then your followers will be getting the message that you can’t be bothered about them or their concerns.

Related on Leadership Expert...

What Makes Effective Leadership?

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

Leadership Opportunities for Children

Different Leadership Styles

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

Are You a Leader or a Follower?

Conversely, if you are familiar with your employees daily responsibilities and concerns and show that you recognise that each of them play an important part in the overall functioning of the organisation, then this sends out the message that everyone on the team is valued.

In particular, leaders in workplace environments should take time to explore the reasons behind any production or employee problems and be honest about whether any issues cropping up could be due problems at the top.

Attributes of an Effective Workplace LeaderMost effective leaders in the workplace share several attributes in common which ensure that they are successful in their leadership roles. Naturally, these different attributes may be more important in different work situations and with different groups of people but a core group of traits and characteristics is seen again and again in effective leaders across different workplace scenarios:

Team-building skills – recognition and acknowledgement are two of the most powerful motivators in human behaviour; a leader who gives credit where it is due, shares it around the team and rewards followers for their contribution will build a more cohesive and successful team.

Flexible leadership style – an effective leader is one who can adapt their leadership style to suit different scenarios and different groups of people.

Courage and determination – effective workplace leaders have the confidence to stand behind what they believe in and the drive to inspire their team to overcome challenges.

Open Mind – effective leaders take risks; they are not afraid of innovative ideas which challenge the status quo and welcome these from their team.

Integrity – leadership cannot succeed without trust and respect and these two can only be given when a leader shows great integrity and ethics.

Good communication skills – probably the most important trait of all, as without the ability to communicate well, all the other traits might well be useless. An effective leader will not only express himself/herself clearly and persuasively but will also be a good listener.

Effective leadership in the workplace is more important than many people realise. For many employees, good leadership within their company can be more important than financial benefits – in fact, people are willing to leave a company and good benefits, for the lack of good leadership.

What Is Motivation?Motivation is often thought of as the incentives or conditions which will cause a person to perform a desired behaviour. These can be external factors, such as material rewards, or intrinsic factors, such as personal beliefs, values or even fear. Arguably, the best type of motivation comes from within – this is self-motivation or intrinsically-motivating activities which a person partakes for no reward other than the enjoyment that the activity brings them.

How Can I Use Leadership To Motivate My Team Members And Colleagues?There are several ways in which a leader can motivate their followers and peers:

Motivating through competition – most people love an element of competition; this is because there is an urge to compare our performances with others and a satisfaction when we compare favourably. Everyone loves being a “winner”.

Related on Leadership Expert...

Leadership in Motivating others

Barriers to Great Leadership

What is Leadership?

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

Are You a Leader or a Follower?

However, it is also important to keep in mind that different individuals have different levels of competitiveness and some may not find competition as motivating as others. In addition, losing in a competition is much more de-motivating than winning is motivating so this is risk you have to take. Finally,

competitive spirit between team members can also backfire and damage bonds built between members in the group.

Motivating through recognition – almost all individuals are motivated by recognition. In fact, recognition for achievements and contributions through positive feedback is one of the most effective ways that managers and leaders can motivate staff in the workplace. It is much more effective than de-motivating factors, such as punishment for mistakes or frequent criticisms.

Note that recognition is different from competition because an individual’s achievements are not compared to those of others.

Motivating through challenge – people like being challenged so that they can work towards a personally meaningful goal. In order for the challenge to be motivating, it must be made up of activities which are increasingly difficult but still attainable.

Motivating through cooperation – team-spirit and the feeling of cooperating with and helping others is a very motivating factor. It gives individuals a feeling of satisfaction, as well as a feeling of membership.

Motivating through curiosity – people can be motivated when they are stimulated to learn more. This is often brought about by providing something in their environment which arouses their curiosity and promises to take their present skills or knowledge to a higher, more desirable level.

Motivating through control – most people enjoy feeling in control, especially of their own destiny. This urge can be very motivating, especially if you enable members to believe that their contribution does make a difference.

Motivating through fantasy – this uses the power of the imagination so that individuals can conjure up mental images or situations to motivate themselves. This has been used many times in history by charismatic leaders with powerful oratory skills to motivate followers by creating a fantasy which appeals to their personal desires and aspirations.

In general, when followers feel supported and in control, they will stay motivated. However, it is vital to remember that motivation is a very individual thing and the degree of motivation you can achieve with any one strategy is very dependent on

the personalities of the people involved. Very often, the only way to determine which strategies and factors motivate the different members in your team is through trial and error.

Team success can be heavily influenced by the person leading the team. But what makes a good team leader? Here are some of the characteristics an effective team leader should have:

A Willingness To Serve And Support His/Her TeamLeaders who are willing to roll their sleeves up and “lead from the back” and not just the front will win the respect and loyalty of their team. This sort of “servant leadership” is also important as it will encourage other team members to serve and support each other – in other words, leading by example.

An Ability To Build His/Her TeamTeams are all about people and relationships and individuals are more likely to contribute when they feel valued as a team member. Most people will care more about their personal feelings and their relationships with others in the team, than necessarily their tasks within the team – therefore, it is crucial for a team leader to build a positive team environment and develop the relationships between his members. This is important not only when the team first forms but also when a new member joins an existing team.

Confidence And ExpertiseTeam members need to feel reassured that their leader has (or has access to) the knowledge and expertise required to lead them in the right direction. In addition, they need to know that their leader has the confidence to lead them through any obstacles and challenges which may appear.Related on Leadership Expert...

Leadership and Planning

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

Leadership Qualities to Look For

A Corporate Leader

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

Are You a Leader or a Follower?

An ability to inspire and motivateTrue leadership is getting people to follow because they want to, not because they have to – this is called self-motivation. One way for a team leader to motivate people is by inspiring them through his/her own enthusiasm and energy – to “fire them up”.

Coolness Under PressureNo one admires a team leader who goes to pieces under pressure or who takes their temper out on other team members. The real test of a leader is how he or she performs under pressure and a leader who can handle himself coolly and confidently will win the respect, admiration and loyalty of his team.

A Willingness To Shoulder ResponsibilityGood team leaders will take on responsibility for the team – they will not shirk their duties and they will not be afraid of facing up to their dues. This also means that they will not pass the buck or blame others when things go wrong – they will take ownership for their part in any problems, whilst also encouraging other team members to acknowledge their contributions.

Quick, Positive Decision-MakingPeople look to the team leader in times of crisis - they need someone who can take charge, assess the situation and make a quick, positive decision. There is nothing worse than a weak, indecisive team leader who lacks confidence and drive. This not only leaves the rest of the team feeling frustrated but will also inject uncertainty and anxiety throughout the team.

Great Communication SkillsNo leader, in any situation, will succeed unless he knows how to communicate with his followers. A leader may have all the other skills but if he lacks good communication skills, he may as well be useless. A good team leader should be able to articulate and communicate the team’s rules, goals and expected duties clearly and persuasively, while also being able to be diplomatic in the face of any conflict. He/she will be approachable and empathetic so that all team members will feel that they are valued and understood.

For anyone in charge of a team, developing good leadership skills will reward you with greater success for the team and thus greater success for yourself as well.

Conflict between leaders in an organisation can be very detrimental, depending on the management and how disputes are resolved in the workplace.

Conflict between people working together is natural and expected – and especially when you have strong, confident, authoritative personalities like “leaders” involved, each used to being successful in their own field, it is inevitable that conflict will develop. Different leaders will have different expectations, make different assumptions, have different styles and solve problems differently.

Sometimes, the leaders involved may skirt around the issues and try to “live” with the conflict for some time, and in some cases, this is a manageable situation without any serious consequences impacting on the rest of the organisation – however, over time, the conflict between leaders can become more visible and have a greater effect on the organisation. In such cases, you will often see:

Staff working for these leaders begin to leave the organisation or transfer to another department within the organisation.

Solutions to key business issues being delayed or avoided Leaders not caring about hiding their differences anymore, so that their

followers and even those outside the organisation are noticing their differences more frequently.

More and more colleagues and employees believe that things are never going to get better between the two leaders.

The only way to resolve the conflict is for one of the leaders to leave the organisation.

Related on Leadership Expert...

Leadership in Dealing With Conflict

Handling Conflict Within a Team

How to Assume Leadership Without Conflict

Leadership and Communication

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

A Common Example Of Conflict Between Leaders…A common scenario involving conflict is when two leaders set up partnership together, eg. to start up a business.

In the beginning, there are no formal titles or responsibilities with each leader just tackling the most suitable tasks, in order to get the job done and all decisions are discussed together and made together.

Then, as the business flourishes and grows, each leader begins to specialise more in certain roles and often, they begin to communicate less with each other. They may also begin to make key decisions without the other’s involvement. This leads to distrust and possibly even blame, if operational and financial problems begin to surface. Both leaders may believe that it is time for one person to take ultimate charge for management of the organisation but each is reluctant to broach the subject, as he/she is afraid the other leader may challenge their claim to the top position….in many such cases, if things cannot be worked out, one of the partners ends up buying the other one out.

How To Resolve Conflict Between LeadersResolving conflict between leaders can be difficult – especially in cases where the leaders involved won’t admit that they are part of and responsible for the conflict that is impacting on the organisation. In addition, facing and dealing with disputes can be uncomfortable so many people tend to avoid acknowledging it if possible.

Since leaders themselves are often experienced in dealing with conflict within their own teams, it is hoped that once they can recognise the problem, they will have the skills to resolve it successfully. In many respects, resolving conflict between leaders is no different to resolving conflict between members of a team. In many cases, the leaders involved can be helped by:

Interrupting the conflict by declaring a temporary truce, while a resolution is worked out.

Trying to analyse the root causes of the conflict. Understanding and being aware of each person’s communication styles,

personalities, attitudes and expectations – and how these may impact on the conflict.

Making an honest attempt to acknowledge each side’s contribution to the dispute – to accept responsibility for individual actions.

Making an effort to make specific changes regarding certain behaviours, attitudes, expectations or communications related to the conflict.

Sometimes, leaders will require outside help, to break down any “walls” during the resolution process – this can come from a trusted peer, a superior or even an outside facilitator. Of course, it must be kept in mind that not all conflicts can be resolved, especially when trust has been lost and is not easily regained. In such cases, it may be better for all (including the leader involved) if one of the leaders leaves the organisation.

No matter where you are on the career ladder, it is never too late to start or continue developing your leadership skills. Leadership is often described as a set of behaviours and skills which can be trained and enhanced, just like many other skills.

Learn To Lead By Example…We’ve probably all been annoyed by a boss who asks his team to do something but then does not do it himself – such as asking everyone to arrive early for a meeting and then coming late himself – this does not engender liking and respect. The best leaders are those who practise what they preach and lead by example. They are not afraid of hard work.

If you want your team to work hard, you must work hard yourself to gain everyone’s loyalty and get them to follow your lead.

Learn To Be Goal-Orientated…Good leaders focus on the solution, rather than the problem. They are very focused on the objectives that need to be achieved and they use their energies to develop a plan and strategy to achieve these objectives, rather than on agonising and complaining about the problem. They are good at prioritising so that the most important and urgent things are done first.

Learn To Take responsibility…Good leaders don’t play the blame game. When things go wrong, they don’t just start pointing fingers – instead, they are not afraid to take first-person responsibility for the team’s actions and consequences. This shows integrity and gains people’s trust.Related on Leadership Expert...

Developing Leadership Skills

Developing Leadership Skills in Children

Speed Thinking: How to Develop Your Skills

Leadership Building Activities for Children

Using Leadership Skills to Improve Company Performance

How Effective is Your Leadership in the Workplace?

Learn To Share Glory With The Team…Good leaders are team-orientated and happy to share credit and glory with their team. They don’t just focus on hording all the credit for themselves but instead show that all achievements are the result of the joint effort of all members of the team. After all, a leader is only as good as their team. This characteristic gains people’s respect and admiration – nobody wants to follow a selfish leader.

Learn To Create And Share Passion…One of the most powerful ways a leader can motivate their team is to transfer their enthusiasm and motivate the team to perform at the top of their ability. Good leaders generally have high energy and the ability to rub the energy off on their followers.

Learn To Develop People…One of the main traits of a good leader is the ability to develop others in the team by training, coaching or teaching, as no one can achieve an organisation’s goals on their own. Thus good leaders build people to create a stronger team – which benefits the organisation overall. They achieve this by being a keen observer of human behaviour, so that they learn about the strengths and weaknesses of different members of their team, and a deeper understanding of team dynamics. They then use their communication skills to empathise with each of the team members and build relationships with them and between them.

Good inter-team relationships mean greater productivity by the team as a whole.

Learn To Master The Art Of Communication…Great leaders are great communicators. They understand that communication is a two way street and so they not only are able to articulate ideas, visions and strategies clearly and persuasively but they are also able to listen with empathy and an open mind.

Learn To Be Assertive And Courageous…Leaders have to go into new territory and this involves having the courage to confront the unknown, take risks and break rules occasionally. To do this, it also means that leaders have to have the courage to speak up about things that matter – to be assertive about the things they need and want from their team. A good leader is not afraid of facing challenges and obstacles in order to achieve their goals.

Learn To Be confident…Finally – and many believe the hardest to learn – is the ability to project confidence and gain the confidence of others. Some people are naturally good at this but everyone can train themselves to develop more confidence and self-assurance. Part of this is having security and faith in yourself and not having a need to get acceptance from others – together with showing that you have the capabilities of carrying the responsibility of a leader, such as the skills and competencies needed to lead the team to the goal – all of this will build trust in people and ultimately, confidence.