Describe a time when you had to motivate a team member who was underperforming. What strategies did you use?

Sample answer to the question

Oh yeah, I remember one of my team members, lets call them Jordan, was struggling to keep up with the pace of the project. I sat down with Jordan, understood their challenges, and set up a more structured approach to their tasks with clear, incremental goals. We established weekly one-on-ones to track progress and provide feedback. It took some time, but eventually, Jordan's performance improved, and they got back on track with the project timeline.

A more solid answer

In my previous role as a team lead, I encountered a similar situation. One engineer, Alex, was lagging behind his deliverables. Recognizing stress as a factor, I first reassured Alex of my support. Then, I re-prioritized his workload to align with project goals better. We broke down his tasks into more manageable chunks and established clear milestones. I involved Alex in decision-making, ensuring his voice was heard and his expertise utilized. Regular, informal check-ins helped maintain open lines of communication. After implementing these strategies, not only did Alex's performance improve, but his confidence grew, positively affecting the team's dynamics.

Why this is a more solid answer:

This answer is an improvement over the basic answer as it gets into more specifics, like identifying stress as a problem and re-prioritizing the workload, which demonstrates good problem-solving and decision-making. The mention of involving the underperforming team member in decision-making reflects strong leadership and team-building skills. The answer also shows an understanding of how to create a supportive atmosphere which is crucial in motivating team members. However, the answer could be enhanced by linking these strategies more directly to improved project outcomes and demonstrating how these experiences tie into the Engineering Manager role.

An exceptional answer

While managing a mid-sized engineering project, I was faced with a junior engineer, Sam, who wasn't meeting expectations. I took immediate steps to understand the root cause of Sam's underperformance. With a supportive approach, I learned that Sam felt overwhelmed by the complexity of tasks. Leveraging my technical acumen and project management skills, I tailored a personalized development plan integrating educational resources with defined, scaled-down objectives. We set up daily stand-up meetings to provide consistent feedback and encouragement. I also paired Sam with a senior engineer for mentorship and facilitated hands-on learning. This approach led to a turnaround in Sam's performance, with notable contributions to the project's success, enhancing team morale and reinforcing the importance of collaboration and continuous professional development in our work culture.

Why this is an exceptional answer:

The exceptional answer provides in-depth details about how the candidate actively assessed and addressed the underperformance issue, showcasing strong leadership, technical expertise, and an understanding of how to foster a collaborative work environment. It offers a strategic, personalized approach to problem-solving and motivates the team member by involving them in the learning process, emphasizing mentoring, and upskilling. The answer ties back into the job description by focusing on continuous improvement and reinforcing a culture of innovation and teamwork, which are key responsibilities of the Engineering Manager role. It also uses specific examples that showcase the candidate's ability to lead by example and make tangible contributions to project success.

How to prepare for this question

Reflect on past experiences where you've successfully motivated an underperforming team member. Highlight the specific actions you took and the outcomes these actions led to.
Consider practical examples that showcase your leadership and motivational skills. Think about how you have applied problem-solving and decision-making abilities to improve a team member's performance.
Draw parallels between past experiences and the responsibilities of an Engineering Manager. Show how your actions align with fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
Be prepared to discuss technical solutions you've implemented that contributed to a project's success and how you involved the team member in this process.
Keep the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method in mind to construct a well-rounded answer. This will help you provide a structured and comprehensive response.

What interviewers are evaluating

Leadership and team-building skills
Ability to motivate and inspire
Problem-solving and decision-making abilities
Experience managing technical teams
Collaborative work environment management