I mentioned in my last post that a management job interview will likely include a question about how you might handle a given employee situation. An effective way to respond to this question is to draw a picture while providing an explanation.

PUTTING THE SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP ™ MODEL TO WORK

The Situational Leadership ™ Model by Dr. Hersey teaches us that the correct way to respond to any employee situation depends on the employee’s level of competency in their task areas combined with their commitment to these tasks. These two factors determine the management style to take in any given situation. This is the what I like to append to my “it depends” answer.

I like to begin my response using the explanation above while drawing an X-Y graph on my notebook paper. I label the X axis commitment and the Y axis competency. I also like to label the corner of the graph ‘low’ and both ends of each axis ‘high.’  (see image below)

I complete the graph by creating a 2 x 2 matrix since there are four possible combinations of competency and commitment in this model:

1. Low competency/low commitment
2. Low competency/high commitment
3. High competency/high commitment
4. High competency/low commitment

This leads to four possible management style responses depending on the assumed level of competency and commitment. This is where we answer the question of how to respond. Our response depends on the employee’s level of competency and commitment.

I like to name and draw each of the four management styles as I discuss them which results in the completed diagram below:

1. Low competency/low commitment = Coaching Style
2. Low competency/high commitment = Supporting
3. High competency/high commitment = Delegating
4. High competency/low commitment = Directing

GIVE SPECIFIC WORK EXAMPLES

I might also add that for each type of management style you explain it is important to include a very brief, real-life example from your career. This not only confirms your understanding of the management style but also demonstrates your use of it in a work situation.

In this post I focused on using a picture in a job interview illustrated by Dr. Hersey’s Situational Leadership ™ model. I purposely left out a lot of details of this model in favor of keeping the focus on how a picture helps increase the effectiveness and success of a job interview. If you are not familiar with this model and plan on using it in a job interview I suggest you might benefit from studying it in greater detail by exploring Dr. Hersey’s website.  You’ll find more information about the model as well as certification courses in using it at your place of business.

I also suggest you create your own examples of each style and where you used them in your career so that you are fully prepared to share them in your interview.

Recent posts on this topic:

Succeeding in Management Job Interviews Using Pictures

Job Interviews: Increasing Use of Diagrams and Whiteboards

Standing Out In Job Interviews Using Visual Communications

Job Interview Success: Draw A Picture!

There are many professions where drawing a picture or diagram in the job interview is very common, if not expected. Software Architecture, Business Process Engineering, and Enterprise Architecture are only a few examples where it is quite natural for the interviewee to pull out a piece of paper and supplement their responses with visual communications.

It is becoming even more common place for the interview to consist of time spent at the whiteboard solving a problem or doing a quick “chalk talk.” “Giving good whiteboard” is one of the top ten skills an Enterprise Architect candidate should possess according to Larry DeBoever, renowned technologist and managing director at EAdirections.

Jeffrey Kay, in his article entitled “Greet your next job candidate with a whiteboard and marker,” advocates the use of the whiteboard as a means to more effective job interviews. Niniane Wang includes this same theme in her advice on how to prepare for a software engineer job interview in a brief but excellent paper entitled “Preparing for a Software Engineering Interview.”

So we can see that becoming skilled at drawing simple and effective diagrams or pictures can help you in your job interview and it may even be a matter of survival depending on the job and the industry in which you are interviewing.

In light of this, why not consider honing your skills in this ever-increasing area?

Recent posts on this topic:

Standing Out In Job Interviews Using Visual Communications

Job Interview Success: Draw A Picture!

Succeeding in Management Job Interviews Using Pictures

Using the Situational Leadership Model in Job Interviews