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Key Takeaways Your leadership instincts aren’t flaws, but the challenge is recognizing when you’re the candidate rather than the leader and adjusting how you communicate.
With practice, either by yourself or alongside a trained professional, you can learn to notice what interviewers hear that you no longer do.
Most executives assume their track record will carry them through interviews, but in reality, the leadership instincts you’ve spent years refining can actively hurt you when you’re a candidate.
I see this pattern regularly in my interview coaching practice. Accomplished leaders often walk out of interview loops confused about why the offer went to another candidate. The truth is, their qualifications were never the issue. Instead, the issue was that they interviewed the way they lead, and although leading this way serves them well day-to-day, it’s costing them opportunities in the interview room.
Let’s explore the three leadership instincts I most often see working against executives in interviews, as well as how to adjust each one.
1. You give your team all the credit
Great leaders distribute praise to their team. When a project succeeds, they spotlight the people who did the work, and over time, “we” becomes their default language. This habit builds trust and loyalty when you’re leading a team, making you look like a secure, selfless leader, but when you’re interviewing, it creates a major problem.
Employers are hiring only one person: you. When every story is told in “we” language, interviewers are left guessing about your individual contributions. Some interviewers will assume you’re being modest. Others will conclude you were just along for the ride and didn’t drive the results yourself. Neither assumption helps you, particularly when you’re competing against equally qualified candidates who more clearly communicate their impact.
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