After years of recruiting senior level staff for our clients, we’ve managed to whittle down what we think makes a great leader to just 7 key measurable attributes. Discover what they are and how to interview for them in this SlideShare.

2. If you investigate the most
successful businesses
across the world, you’ll notice
that they all have one thing in
common; a fantastic, hands-
on team of managers leading
the way.

3. They know that the
secret to success lies
directly in the leaders
they recruit…

4. So what
makes a
great leader?

5. After years of recruiting
senior staff for our clients,
we think we’ve managed
to whittle great
“leadership” down to just
7 key measurable
attributes.

6. Let’s take a look…

8. Most people can lead.
But do they (genuinely)
want to lead?

10. All great leaders will be
able to resolve conflicts
quickly, fairly and
efficiently (that’s just
common sense!)

12. Managers will have to cope
with a variety of tasks and
different kinds of people,
so great leaders will be
able to adapt in the face of
unforeseen circumstances.

14. Creative leaders will bring
things to the table that you
may have overlooked and
will be able to inspire their
team to do the same!

16. A good leader simply
MUST be a good
negotiator; chances are,
most of their job will be
persuasion of some kind
(whether aimed at staff,
clients or suppliers)!

18. Great leaders have the
ability to make rational
decisions and stick by
them

20. A great leader will inspire and
motivate their great
employees to develop and
grow but they’ll also know
how and when to deal with
the under-performers.

21. Fairly
straightforward
right?

22. But, how do you assess
those seven leadership
attributes at an interview?
(Without asking predictable questions they’ve
probably prepared for?)

23. That’s where these
questions come
into play…

26. What are you looking for?
You want to attract someone who’s not only
willing to, but actually wants to step up when
the going gets tough (even if they’re not asked
to).
These people will have an innate flair for
leadership and will naturally gravitate towards a
managerial role (whether in their job description
or not).

27. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who have no evidence of stepping
up when the going gets tough.
• Candidates who clearly prefer to take a back
seat within the team.
• Candidates who are openly negative about their
colleagues or who show an emotional response
to team situations.

30. What are you looking for?
Keep an eye out for candidates
who can give multiple examples of
when they’ve settled disputes and
awkward situations before they
went too far; the peacemakers of
the office.

31. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who badmouth co-workers,
clients or managers.
• Candidates who clearly caused the
conflict.
• Candidates who lack the confidence to
deal with conflict.

33. What are you looking for?
Managers will have to cope with a variety of
tasks and different kinds of people, so great
leaders will be able to adapt in the face of
unforeseen circumstances.
Great leaders will also face setbacks head on
and work with whatever resources they have
to come up with solutions, learning along the
way.

34. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who clearly aren’t willing to
take on extra responsibilities.
• Candidates who are stuck in their ways.
• Candidates who panic in the face of set-
backs (they might abandon tasks, pass the
buck to someone else, blame others for
the defeat).

37. Make sure you probe further!
Can you give me an example of when you had to do this?
Is this something the rest of your team do
too?
What’s the best idea you’ve ever had?

38. What are you looking for?
Creative thinkers will be able to give examples of
how they came up with new, refreshing ideas,
insights and solutions – that improved their business.
Look out for candidates who are eager to try new
things, but who also exhibit a clear decision-making
process (and don’t just rush into things).
It’s also very important that leaders recognise great
ideas when their employees suggest them and get
behind them 100%!

39. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who rush into trying out new
ideas on a whim, without thinking them
through; there needs to be some sort of
decision making process!
• Candidates who you think might squash or
take credit for another employee’s idea.
• Candidates who can’t describe any examples
of their creativity or critical thinking process.

42. What are you looking for?
Good negotiators will exhibit fairness, empathy,
critical reasoning, emotional intelligence and
confidence.
This means they’ll be able to understand and
appreciate other points of view and use this
understanding to negotiate successfully.
(They’ll be great at keeping everyone happy!)

43. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who appear to use intimidation or
threats, rather than attempting to negotiate.
• Candidates who clearly give in too easily.
• Candidates who think they don’t need to
negotiate because they’re always right (they’ll
just go ahead and do what they want anyway).

46. What are you looking for?
Look out for interviewing candidates who are
level headed and commercially minded.
They’ll understand the consequences of certain
actions and they’ll have their own way of
making a decision; taking all angles into
consideration.
They will take risks, but only calculated ones.

47. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who take too many risks or who
seem to jump into decisions too quickly.
• Candidates who can’t explain their decision-
making process.
• Candidates who take no risks whatsoever (if no
one took risks, nothing would ever get done).

49. What are you looking for?
You’re looking out for candidates who exhibit
experience and passion for developing other
employees.
They’ll understand that training and nurturing
others is a really important part of building a
close-knit and super-successful team.
On the other hand, a good leader will also know
when it’s time to get tough!

50. Heads up…
If you want specifics, you could ask…
Tell me about the last person you sacked…
How would you track the performance of your employees?
How have you encouraged the development
of your staff members in the past?

51. Warning Signs:
• Candidates who are quick to judge and
discipline staff members - without asking
questions first.
• Candidates who are naïve to the negative
responsibilities of becoming a manager, like
disciplining, sacking and redundancies etc.
• Candidates who are unsure (or against) the
training and development of other staff
members (“they can do that in their spare
time”).

52. So there you have it…
7 revealing interview questions
you could use to suss out the
great leaders in your process!

53. Don’t forget to use your gut
instincts too!
There are, of course, other leadership attributes
that cannot be revealed by mere questioning.
To assess these intangibles, you’ll have to use
your gut instincts and keen eye for body language.

54. Ask yourself…
• Is the candidate likable?
• Will they fit in with my team?
• Are they confident enough to lead a team?
• Are people going to trust them?

56. What next?

57. It’s always a good idea to
come up with a list of
interview questions before
an interview…

58. At Coburg Banks, we suggest using a mixture
of:
The Basics
Behavioural Questions
Personality Questions
Click on the links above to find examples for you to swipe and deploy in
your own interviews!

59. Of course, this should be used as a
guiding structure, not a script.
You don’t want the whole process to
come across false and rigid.
Have fun, help your candidate to feel
at ease and enjoy the process!

60. Click here to download our free eBook, which reveals
more:
• Cutting edge advice on how to write brilliant job adverts that attract
the best candidates for your role.
• Body language tips so you can spot the good, the bad and the
complete liars in your interview process.
• More insider secrets revealing how to draw out the best (and the
worst) in your interviewing candidates.
Want to read more?

61. Enjoy and Good Luck from
the Coburg Banks Team!