You can be sure that a management interview will a include a question about how you might handle a hypothetical situation with an employee. Here’s a wonderfully effective way to respond using a simple, well-known framework.

WHAT ALL MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS HAVE IN COMMON: THE EMPLOYEE

No matter what the management question is concerning a situation with an employee, don’t forget that the common denominator is the employee. And as all employees come in different flavors, most answers can begin with “it depends.” A great response will not only discuss what it depends on, but also what it does not depend.

You see most interviewees are trying to figure out your dominant management style and if there is a fit between your style and the team you may be hired to manage. But we all know that an effective manager is skilled in at least four styles and employs them depending on what is needed at the time. Therefore the appropriate answer does not depend on your dominant management style but knowing and using the style most needed considering the employee and the situation at hand.

This approach is clearly the case of not directly answering the question asked, but answering the question that should have been asked and gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the theory and the wisdom of your experience in a way that will make you stand out from the pack.

NEXT UP: USING THE BLANCHARD HERSEY SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL

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