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COMPETENCY #2—MANAGERIAL/LEADERSHIP SKILLS 97

Situation: At Autumn Affairs, person-to-person contacts and phone

interactions between employees were minimal. For the most part, everyone
relied on e-mail to communicate.

Action: To create a friendlier, more personalized work environment,

I implemented a “no e-mail Friday,” during which no one was allowed to
use e-mail to contact individuals who were in the same building. Everyone
was required to get up from his or her desk and speak to the co-worker in
person. When the employees needed to communicate with others in an-
other building or a different state, they were required to pick up the phone
and call.

Result: The one-on-one interactions opened the door to friendships.

Employees began to eat lunch together outside of the office and went for
walks during their lunch break. This, in turn, increased team cohesiveness and
productivity.

Question 57. Recall a time you were successful as a project leader.

Situation: At the Ingalls Company, I was assigned to lead market-

ing and advertising initiatives that encompassed conceptualizing and im-
plementing an integrated marketing program for clients from a broad range
of industries.

Action: As team leader, I managed a multimillion-dollar program and

the launch of marketing campaigns under highly challenging conditions, in-
cluding market-dominating competitors, downturned markets, and restricted
budgets.

Result: Along with my team, we built a strong portfolio of quantifiable

successes, with recent results including a 40 percent customer base increase
for Comfy Slippers, a 68 percent return on investment for National Freights,
and a $2 million revenue growth for Control Assets.

Question 58. Tell me about a time when you fired an employee whom

you personally got along with.

Situation: Rebecca had a great personality and did a stellar job as a

graphic designer. Clients raved about her work, but unfortunately she missed
every other deadline. She claimed that it was because she was a perfectionist
and did not want to submit work before it was finished. Because of her crafts-

American Management Association
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