Job interview question: what would you have answered?

[PuppyDay]

Interviewed today for a senior position in a public sector organisation. Interview by the chair of the board and other board members. Knew none of them. Their final question was “who is you role model and what about that person do you try and model in your leadership approach”? My mind went blank.

i ended up saying I haven’t got a single role model. That there are many people I’ve been inspired by and learned from both professionally, in my family and in the piblic sphere but not a single person I seek to imitate. They then asked me to name of the people I felt inspired by in the public sphere!

what would you have said?

Your answer sounds good to me.

The answer sounds fine, I think it’s one of those questions that’s more a test of self perception than them looking off you to name someone,

maybe the best answer would be to cite a former manager or colleague who exemplifies leadership qualities you want to lean in to, or conversely is strong where you are weak.

I naming public figures is a bit of a trap as they can be quite divisive or you sound ridiculous. Steve Jobs? Nelson Mandela? Unless there’s someone in your industry who is universally admired.

Your initial answer is good but who did you end up naming in the public sphere?

My mind would have blanked on a name too. The question wasn't really about that though, it was trying to find out what your leadership style is. Are you soft and fluffy or a hard ass? Nurturing or draconian?
You could have said winnie the pooh, so long as you went on to point out his characteristics and commented on how some of those line up with your own, and which you disagree with. Winnie the pooh is motivating, a team player, suportive, honest, loyal, dependenable. He's also lazy and not the brightest, but has sufficient self awareness to call on Christopher Robin's good sense when he is lacking

Yes, you did well to avoid naming a specific person. It can too easily get political or controversial for other reasons.

Sounds like a really good answer to me. Naming specific people opens you up to someone countering with “what about x that they said about y”.

Dr Rangan Chatterjee says some interesting stuff about having role models/heros in his book “Make Change That Lasts” and he talks about it in is podcast too.

You did well! I would have been internally thinking- WTF!

I too don't try to copy my leadership approach on anyone! 😕

You could also name multiple people based on certain characteristics. On person for leadership style, another for the way they have overcome barriers, etc.

I think your answer is really good in terms of breadth of people you are seeking inspiration from. As an interviewer I would then be looking for you to follow up with some specifics of what some of them did that inspired you and how it has changed the way you work/look at things etc

I think you answered the question very well.
Of course they would then ask you who in the public sphere you might model yourself after but I like that you said there was no one you particularly wanted to imitate.
That sounds good that you have taken the most inspiring traits from others you've admired and created your own way.
I'm thinking you weren't able to think of anyone in the public sphere that you might have taken inspiration from?

I think I’d say something similar OP.

People you meet professionally can inspire you in different ways and I’ve taken aspects from several managers that have proved to be useful.

In the public sphere, I’d be wary of naming names. Public figures may show a different side of themselves in private than that they show in public. How do you know what part of that to admire or emulate.

I’d have to try very hard not to say something utterly facetious in those circumstances. I think you did really well!

Barak and Michelle Obama. Can't go wrong with them. And any one who doesn't agree I wouldn't want to work for. Sounds like you answered well.

I’m alone in thinking that’s a terrible answer. I had an answer to this immediately after reading the question

My answer would have been, „there are many people I admire and can learn lessons from in terms of how I live and work. I would say foremost in my mind at the moment is lawyer Jefferson Fisher because he emphasises the importance of communicating well and with empathy for the listener.“. Or words to that effect.

As a frequent interviewer i appreciate people who can give interesting and considered answers for such questions.

I think your answer is fine.

It's just a test to see if you can think on your feet they are almost certainly not going to chose or lose you based on that one answer and if they do they were never really the right company to begin with. The interviewers will give you all sorts of guff as to why they ask these questions but by the time they ask them they already know whether they want you or not or at least will go onto the next phase.

You've given a really good answer to a stupid question!

I was asked this in a team building exercise and I said my sister. She was one of the first females to qualify into a solely male specific trade in the late 90s. I'll not say which as it is too Google-able.

She was interviewed in one of the industry magazines and was asked what other construction job would she like to do and she said Quantity Surveyor, which I wanted to do.

I've never really looked back.

Jean Luc Picard

Listens to his team, respects their point of view, takes the difficult decisions and does the right thing, even if it risks his career

I'd probably say I've learned a lot from all different people in my career.

On reflection, the biggest lessons I've taken forward are xyz (and give 3 defining things about my leadership).

Those things have come about because of the opportunities I've been given which I'm very grateful for.

@PuppyDay Honestly, I think it’s quite unfair to be asked to name the actual public figures since it implies some sort of agenda on their part to recruit a certain type of person. The objective should simply be to recruit the most suitable person for the job and assess if they would be a good fit based on their achievements and behaviours. Therefore the emphasis should simply have been more along the lines of asking you to think of people either in your personal life or public figures, and if there is anything about them that has inspired you or shaped your leadership approach. If so, do you have any examples?

You did well to think on your feet!

I’d have talked about a leader I have worked with probably. It’s hard to pick a public figure having never worked with them

This is a common question at interview. I would have already researched the organisation’s values, beliefs, business strategy alongside management and leadership theory. By doing so I would offer the name of a person whom I would think would do well in that organisation and use them. Someone whose values and beliefs had empowered them to become an insirational leader. A robust standard answer is Michelle Obama as her values are similar to those of many uk organisations. I might use Phil Gray a past trade union leader nursing and physiotherapy who achieved good outcomes and liaised well with government, although a past figure his skills would be current in view of pay negotiation across public sector. I can think of hundreds more but if I were at a loss I would use something from management literature maybe Winnie The Pooh as a manager.

Su Pollard in Hi-De-Hi. No matter how many challenges she faced, no matter how often Ruth Madoc told her she was too common, she always stayed positive and proactive and never gave up on her dream of becoming a Yellowcoat.

I’m genuinely interested, why is it a stupid question. I could see myself asking it and I’d have a decent answer ready if asked it.

I really really hope you have said this for real.