It is one thing to delegate activities and inform your staff members what to do. It is another to be standing over them the entire time, breathing weirdly down their neck about it as you force them to get their activities done.

Most industries are well aware of how management style plays a significant role in job satisfaction. When you are in charge of delegating activities, companies need to know that you:

• Do not scare away/annoy really good workers.
• Make certain that each worker does what they are supposed to do

It is a balancing act, but being good at delegating needs that you know how to navigate that wire victoriously.

Behavioral Interview Query: When delegating activities and responsibilities, how do you decide how much guidance and supervision is needed?

However, some employers may have a specific answer in mind, particularly if someone in the post in the past struggled or excelled with leadership, most employers will not. What they are seeking for is awareness. After all, a manager that does not watch their workers is going to let things fall through the cracks, while those that watch them too much are going to emphasized skilled persons out of the company.

Some middle ground should be your answer, but perhaps even more significant is that it should have an intention, purpose, and depict some level of trust in your staff.

Sample Answer

“That is a good query but it does not always have an easy answer. There are times when I can tell that the work is problematic to others, and times when it is obvious that I can take hands off approach. I always try to adjust my management style to complement each group members development needs. 

What I try to do is offer workers ample ways to indicate me that they require help if that is the case, but otherwise I trust them to do the job. I do this by making micro-goals. These are little achievements that they require to complete along the way, and if they do not complete them it is a warning sign that they may require help and greater leadership. I also keep a spreadsheet that I have my staff fill out every day or every other day, and if I see they are not making much growth that is when I get involved.

Ultimately, I just try my best to be aware. I inquire myself have I given someone the activity before and did they do a great job? If so, I will be much more hands off, and just let them know I am available. If it is something new, I may do the activity with them for a short while to make certain that they have what they need.”

The key point when answering is to make certain that the interviewer knows you understand your role, and that you are more than capable of adjusting your management approach relying on the requirements of your team members. If you have any real world instances, make certain to throw them in there.