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Interview Questions

Are You a Leader or a

Follower?
! Published by Jobzilla

A common question for interviewers to

ask is "Are you a leader or a follower?"
When an interviewer asks if you are a
leader or a follower, it might be tempting
just to respond that you are a leader,
since taking on responsibilities sounds
like what a potential employer would
want.

However, a hiring manager is looking for

something more complex. He or she is
trying to see if you are versatile and are
willing to assume di!erent roles based
on what the company needs.

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As you are answering this interview

question, it is important to talk about
past experiences that show you display
characteristics of both a leader and a
follower. Remember, both options have
negative connotations:

Follower – Someone that can’t

think for themselves or take charge
when needed.
Leader – Someone that can’t take
orders.

Therefore, every organization values

some leadership qualities but wants
someone who will follow directives as
well. Try to maintain a balance between
the two.

In this article, we discuss how to answer

this question and provide sample
answers and tips for how to answer.

How to answer
"Are you a leader
or a follower?" in
an interview
The question of whether you’re more of
a leader or follower is tricky and it’s not
always clear why the interviewer is
asking.

In general, though, they’re asking this

interview question with their particular
job requirements in mind! They want to
figure out if you’ll fit into the role.

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Will you be able to do what’s expected of

you? Will you enjoy the role and be likely
to stay?

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So the bottom line is: They’re asking

because they want to know if you’ll fit
with the role and with the team.

That means you need to do one

important thing: Never go into an
interview without reviewing the job
description and knowing what the
company wants! (The job description is
the single best place to see what the
employer is looking for in someone they
hire).

If you’re unsure of what the interviewer

wants for their job, you can say you’re
good at both leading and following.
However, if you’re confident that the job
requires one particular skill set over the
other (for example, if you’re interviewing
for a Senior Director position where
you’ll be overseeing a team of 20), you
can be more precise in your answer.

While answering this interview

question, tell a story that illustrates how
you can be both a leader and a follower.
Use the STAR method to frame your
answer, focusing on Situation, Task,
Action, and Results. This method makes
it easy for you to tell your story with
clear details about a problem and how
you helped solve it. A STAR response
includes the:

Situation: A brief description of the

situation or challenge you faced
Task: A brief description of your
role in the situation and what you
needed to achieve
Action: A detailed explanation of
the specific actions you took,
highlighting the most impactful
steps you took
Result: A concise explanation of the
results of your actions, including
quantitative or tangible examples if
possible and what you learned
from the situation

Here are the do's and don'ts to consider

when answering the interview question
"Are you a leader or a follower?" Keep all
of the below in mind when formulating a
response to this question. Remember to
answer the question with confidence
and to maintain eye contact with your
interviewer when providing your
response.

Do
Talk about times where you took
charge and assumed
responsibilities.
Discuss times when you followed
instructions successfully.
Mention past experiences where
you were both a leader and a
follower.
Focus on how being both a leader
and a follower has a positive impact
on the business.
Demonstrate that you understand
the appropriate contexts in which
one would be a leader vs. a follower.
Emphasize skills that would benefit
both a leader and a follower.
Answer this question in a way that
lets the interviewer know that you
possess the capabilities to assume
both roles, and that you can change
based on the needs of the position.

Don't
Say you are solely a leader and only
talk about your leadership traits.
Say you are solely a follower and
only talk about times where you
took orders and performed tasks.
Come across as indecisive--you
must provide answer that proves
you possess the fluidity to be both a
leader and a follower.

Example answers
for "Are you a
leader or a
follower?"
1. "In past jobs, I have been able to
adapt to whatever was expected of
me. When a group needed a leader,
I was more than capable of
handling that role, but at the same
time, I recognize when it is better to
take a step back and take direction
from someone who is more
knowledgeable than I am."
2. "I like to think of myself as both a
good leader and follower. I
approach each situation di"erently,
and I respond to what it needs from
me. I enjoy leading projects that
relate to my strengths, but I'm also
happy to follow the lead of others
who may be a better fit.

For example, the current HR

department at my company
includes an HR manager and two
generalists, including myself. Our
company president assigned the
department two big projects. We
needed to rewrite the employee
handbook and develop a new
benefits package for our employees
at the same time.

I have more experience with

benefits, so I volunteered to lead
this project. My manager provided
me with some previous research as
a starting point, I provided her with
weekly updates about my progress.
I also provided the other generalist
with feedback about her drafts of
the handbook. Since we both
worked on projects more related to
our specialties, we were able to
complete both projects in full two
weeks before our deadline."

3. "I would say that I am both. I

definitely try to lead by an example,
and I am not afraid to share my
opinion, even with my superiors, or
with people who have 20 years of
experience in the field. On the
other hand, I try to stay humble,
and I believe that learning never
ends. That’s why I do not consider
myself superior to my subordinates
or basically to anyone in the
workplace. Neither superior, nor
inferior. I am receptive to feedback
and try to learn from people
around me. That’s why I would say
that I am both a leader and a
follower."

4. "I play both roles well. I love to lead

projects and teams. In my last
position, I spearheaded two large
projects taking 12 months in total
and bringing our company
$104,000 in revenue. I had 15
people reporting to me for those
projects. However, I’m also able to
follow someone’ else’s lead when
necessary. I’ve assisted on projects
where I wasn’t the leader, and I
knew that trying to be a second
leader would only disrupt the team
and work. I think that by
recognizing what’s needed based
on the situation and my role, I’m
able to decide how to best use my
leadership abilities. Overall, I’m
very comfortable leading, though,
and it’s something I’m eager to do
more of in my career. I saw on the
job description that this position
would be leading a team of six and
possibly hiring a couple of more
people as the group expands, and
that’s something that excited me a
lot about the job!"

5. "I am a leader and follower.

Depending on the task, situation,
and people. I can take charge when
needed and know how to listen and
follow directions. I think the most
important thing is to adapt and be
flexible.

I depend on what is required of me

at any given moment. Being a
leader or follower isn’t about one
quality or another. It’s about being
able to read a situation and
respond accordingly."

Always remember, a great way

to prepare for interview questions is to
have a friend or family member pretend
to be the interviewer who asks you
questions while you practise your
answers.

" Share on # $ %

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Common Interview Questions

What is Your Greatest Strength?

Why Do You Want This Job?

Why Should We Hire You?

What is Your Salary Expectation?

Tell Me About Yourself

What is Your Greatest Weakness?

Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current

Job?

What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?

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