Teamwork / Leadership Flashcards
- Can you talk about a team project or group activity you’ve worked on before?
You should use your “Success” story and the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) structure for this one. Aim for 100-150 words to keep your answer under 60 seconds.
- Can you describe a situation where a team did not work as intended?
You can use your “Failure” story here. Resist the urge to blame others and instead use this question to state one of your weaknesses/areas for improvement and explain how you’ve been improving.
- Can you tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma in a team or with a co-worker?
You could use any of your short stories for this question but focus on a different aspect of it – namely, disagreeing with a team member over the right course of action.
You don’t have to cite a gigantic “ethical dilemma”; it could be something where the person suggested doing something that was borderline-unethical but not definitively wrong.
- What was the most difficult situation you faced as a leader, and how did you respond?
This question is almost the same as the one above, but you should use your “Leadership” story for this one and focus on the key challenge(s) you overcame.
Spend more time describing that challenge and the ACTION you took rather than the Situation
- Do you work better as a leader or a follower?
You can function as both a leader and a follower depending on the situation.
You do this all the time in finance, even at the entry-level, so you have to be OK with both roles.
For this question, you can use your “Leadership” story and also speak about an aspect of the story where you were more like a team member rather than the official leader.
- What is your leadership style?
Everything in investment banking is task and goal-based, so you probably don’t want to say “laissez-faire” or “hands-off” for this one. I’m a big picture guy. I have an eye for how all the moving pieces fit together to achieve the goal. I’m less inclined to want to get down into the minute details and control how everything gets done.
But you also don’t want to say you’re a dictator or autocrat.
Use a “middle of the road” response where you say that you like goals and task lists, and you don’t like to micromanage, but you will step into the details when it’s necessary.
For example, on a recent 6-person school project where we had to present a global company that we created, I made a list so that everyone knew which element of the company they would be working on and presenting. This gave me the peace to work on my element and trust my teammates.
- Does the leader make the team?
No – the team makes the team. The leader provides direction, resolves problems, and unifies everyone, but the team is much more than just the leader.
For this question, you could use your “Failure” story to illustrate a challenge or your “Leadership” story if that one better illustrates the importance of teamwork.
Sample “Good” Answer: “The leader doesn’t make the team; the team makes the team. The leader can set the direction, keep everyone on track, and resolve problems, but everyone has to pull their weight for the team to succeed.
- Why should we hire you?
Firms hire people that can bring them results. I have a history of excellent results both academically and professionally. When I put my mind to something, it gets done.
I have experience in both managing a team that demanded perfect precision and building strong client relationships.
I’ve built a customer base for my own company and maintained strong customer loyalty and I have the technical training, intellectual curiosity, and problem solving skills to tackle any challenge that might come my way.
