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

Most agencies 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 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 instruction and supervision is needed?

However, some employers may have a specific answer in mind, especially if someone in the position in the past struggled or excelled with supervision, most employers will not. What they are searching 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 push skilled people out of the company.

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

Sample Answer

“That is a great query but it does not always have a simple answer. There are times when I can tell that the work is challenging to others, and times when it is clear I can take hands off approach. I always try to adjust my management style to compliment each team members development needs. 

What I try to do is give workers ample ways to show me that they require help if that is the case, but otherwise I trust them to do the job. I do this by creating micro-goals. These are little achievements that they need to complete along the way, and if they do not complete them it’s a warning sign that they might need help and greater supervision. I also keep a spreadsheet that I’ve my staff fill out every day or every other day, and if I see they are not making much progress that is when I get involved.

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

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