Situational Questions for Team Leader Interviews in BPO with Sample Answers
Osf working competency framework
1. WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE*
*This working model has been crafted with input from Sally Collela’s interviews of selected SMC and Director level staff,
Belen del Amo’s listening tour, the HR team, and selected individuals.
2. OSF COMPETENCIES
People Manager
+
•LeadingTeams That Work
Develops direction and shared purpose.
Builds a team through clear processes,
communication, feedback, and
expectation setting to ensure the
accomplishment of goals.
•Leading Teams That Grow
Diagnoses individual and team capability,
acts as a coach, and champions talent
management.
•Managing Time & Money
Makes the best possible judgements
based on financial and time availability.
Director
+
•Strategic Thinking
Considers multiple options to achieve
long-range goals, appropriately balancing
risk and reward, selecting the best
strategies for success.
•Leading Change
Encourages and seeks out innovative
solutions and brings people on a journey
constructively and empathetically.
SMC
Will be expected to
deliver against all
competencies at a
higher level of
proficiency.
Individual Contributor
•Advancing Diversity
Advances diversity by encouraging diversity of
viewpoints and discussions, and building
workgroups that are broadly inclusive.
•Expertise
Looks outside OSF to stay relevant and adapts to
changes in field(s) of expertise. Uses external
networks to achieve positive outcomes for OSF.
•Getting the Right Things Done
Establishes goals, plans for contingencies,
readjusts where appropriate, and takes
responsibility delivering outcomes that have a
positive impact. Balances risk/reward, and
intellectual curiosity with pragmatism to get
things done.
•Working Well with OSF Colleagues
Builds collaborative relationships inside OSF
through the understanding and development of
other’s and own ideas. Uses appropriate means&
tone of communication to convey messages,
seeks input from others and ensures
understanding.
•Working Well with Others
Seeks to clarify, understand and exceed
expectations of others to make a positive impact.
3. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR
+
Advancing Diversity
Expertise
Getting the Right Things Done
Working Well with OSF Colleagues
Working Well with Others
Advancing Diversity
Advances diversity by encouraging diversity of viewpoints and discussions, and building workgroups that are broadly inclusive.
• Values diversity of personal identity, experience, perspective, and background in work groups.
• Encourages diversity of viewpoints in discussions.
• Builds workgroups that are broadly inclusive of people of diverse identities, backgrounds, and strengths.
Expertise
Looks outside OSF to stay relevant and adapts to changes in field(s) of expertise. Uses external networks to achieve positive
outcomes for OSF.
• Stays abreast of current developments in his/her field(s) of expertise.
• Incorporates latest developments in his/her work.
• Uses external expert networks to benefit the Open Society Foundations.
4. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR CONT’D
Getting the Right Things Done
Establishes goals, plans for contingencies, readjusts where appropriate, and takes responsibility delivering outcomes that have a
positive impact. Balances risk/reward, and intellectual curiosity with pragmatism to get things done.
• Establishes challenging but reasonable goals.
• Stays focused on goals by:
• measuring progress
• prioritizing as appropriate
• working to overcome obstacles when they arise
• having a plan B
• Adjusts his/her behaviours to improve effectiveness by:
• reprioritizing as appropriate
• drawing on multiple sources (people, bodies of knowledge, information, etc) for ideas
• Not persisting with ineffective actions/projects
• Accepts responsibility for results.
• Makes good decisions in a timely manner.
5. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR CONT’D
Working Well with OSF Colleagues
Builds collaborative relationships inside OSF through the understanding and development of other’s and own ideas.
Uses appropriate means& tone of communication to convey messages, seeks input from others and ensures
understanding.
• Builds collaborative relationships with colleagues within the Open Society Foundations by:
• establishing good interpersonal relationships helping people feel valued, appreciated and included in discussions
• acting as an internal connector to bring people together to solve common challenges
• Seeks to understand colleagues’ points of views and context by:
• seeking information to further understand colleague’s situations
• asking for feedback so as to modify approach when appropriate
• Integrates his/her own ideas with those of others.
• Communicates well by:
• maintaining colleagues’ attention using various techniques such as analogies, illustrations, humour, appropriate style,
body language and voice inflection.
• adjusting to the audience framing the message in line with the audience’s experience, expectations, and style.
• using appropriate means of communication (i.e. email versus in person) for the audience.
• organizing the communication to maximize likelihood the audience will understand.
• seeking confirmation that message has been understood (i.e. making use of paraphrasing and other techniques)
6. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR CONT’D
Working Well with Others
Seeks to clarify, understand and exceed expectations of others to make a positive impact.
• Builds collaborative relationships with people outside of the Open Society Foundations.
• Takes the needs of collaborators outside of OSF into account.
• Seeks feedback from colleagues outside OSF.
• Strives to exceed the expectations of colleagues outside OSF.
7. PEOPLE MANAGER
+
Leading Teams that Work
Leading Teams that Grow
Managing Time & Money
Leading Teams that Work
Develops direction and shared purpose. Builds a team through clear processes, communication, feedback, and expectation setting
to ensure the accomplishment of goals.
• Keeps teams focused on goals by:
• developing direction and shared purpose by linking team and individual roles to program objectives and goals.
• organizing the team in order to meet program and OSF level goals.
• recruiting as necessary.
• Continues to clarify objectives as a team develops by:
• adjusting objectives as necessary.
• defining what success looks like (where possible).
• Demonstrates trust in teams by:
• delegating appropriately.
• Provides timely feedback using a mix of formal and informal mechanisms.
8. PEOPLE MANAGER CONT’D
Leading Teams that Grow
Diagnoses individual and team capability, acts as a coach, and champions talent management.
• Diagnoses capability and development needs of team.
• Creates opportunities for team members to contribute in areas of their own strengths.
• Creates opportunities for team members to learn from each other by:
• sharing the team’s strengths with one another.
• identifying learning opportunities (stretch projects, collaboration opportunities, etc) across the team and broader OSF.
• Supports team members in developing their careers by:
• emphasizing development supporting attendance at trainings and other professional growth opportunities.
• Coaches team members effectively by:
• helping team problem solve.
• making use of coaching techniques such as observation, inquiry, and disclosure.
• Creates a safe learning environment by:
• ensuring mistakes are discussed and learned from.
• praising and providing feedback on good work.
• finding ways to advance strong performer’s development.
9. PEOPLE MANAGER CONT’D
Managing Time & Money
Makes the best possible judgements based on financial and time availability.
• Incorporates financial analysis routinely in making decisions.
• Shifts human and financial resources effectively between projects in alignment with the priorities of the Open Society
Foundations by:
• establishing a budget and making trade offs to stay within it.
• thinking about the larger implications of actions on OSF finding the most cost effective way to take action.
• stopping projects that are not yielding results or are deemed not to be able to do so in the future.
• Shifts human and financial resources effectively between projects to take advantage of greatest opportunities by:
• understanding that to take more on, there may be a need to stop doing something else.
10. DIRECTOR
+
Strategic Thinking
Leading Change
Strategic Thinking
Considers multiple options to achieve long-range goals, appropriately balancing risk and reward, selecting the best strategies for
success.
• Communicates a clear vision relating his/her group’s work to the goals of the Open Society Foundations by:
• Anticipates future conditions when developing strategies by:
• organizing information to identify, explain trends, problems and their causes.
• seeing associations between seemingly independent problems or events to recognize trends.
• Considers multiple options to achieve long-range goals by:
• gathering information by asking relevant questions
• developing decision criteria considering relevant factors
• making timely decisions.
• considering risks and creating contingency plans.
• developing timelines based on these long range goals.
.
11. DIRECTOR CONT’D
Leading Change
Encourages and seeks out innovative solutions and brings people on a journey constructively and empathetically.
• Looks for better ways of doing things by:
• remaining open to ideas offered by others.
• recommending and using good ideas from multiple sources.
• Encourages others to innovate by:
• setting an example for continuous improvement.
• demonstrating tolerance for associated risks that come with change.
• striving to achieve a best practice approach.
• Helps colleagues to see a common future different from the present by:
• showing empathy with those who fear or are anxious about change
• presenting a vision of the benefits associated with change
• Helps colleagues commit to change by:
• minimizing complexity in the face of change.
• managing personal pressures associated with change
• making adjustments where changes have not worked