Driving Results is the demonstrated ability to set clear goals, overcome obstacles, and consistently deliver outcomes while taking personal ownership of success. This competency is essential across virtually all professional roles as it directly correlates with an organization's ability to achieve objectives, grow market share, and maintain competitive advantage.

At its core, Driving Results encompasses several dimensions—goal orientation, persistence, accountability, initiative, resource optimization, and urgency. How this competency manifests varies by role and experience level. Entry-level professionals might demonstrate results orientation through academic achievements or volunteer experiences, while executives drive results by setting organizational direction, removing barriers, and creating cultures of accountability. No matter the level, this trait distinguishes those who merely complete tasks from those who deliver meaningful outcomes.

When evaluating candidates for this competency, interviewers should listen for concrete examples of how candidates have taken ownership, overcome obstacles, prioritized effectively, and achieved measurable outcomes. The best candidates don't just work hard—they work smart, focusing resources on high-impact activities and demonstrating resilience when facing setbacks.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you faced significant obstacles to achieving an important goal. How did you respond?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific goal and its importance to the organization or project
• The nature and severity of the obstacles encountered
• The specific actions the candidate took to address these challenges
• How the candidate maintained momentum despite setbacks
• Resources or support the candidate leveraged or created
• The ultimate outcome and any lessons learned
• How this experience influenced their approach to subsequent goals

Follow-Up Questions:

• What was your thought process when you first realized you were facing these obstacles?
• How did you prioritize which challenges to address first?
• What alternatives did you consider before deciding on your approach?
• How did you keep stakeholders informed about the challenges and your progress?

Describe a situation where you had to significantly exceed expectations or go beyond your job description to achieve results.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and why exceeding normal expectations was necessary
• How the candidate identified what needed to be done
• Specific actions that went beyond typical responsibilities
• How the candidate balanced these additional efforts with regular duties
• Any resistance encountered and how it was overcome
• The outcome and impact of their extra efforts
• Recognition received or lessons learned from the experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• What motivated you to go above and beyond in this situation?
• How did you determine what "exceeding expectations" looked like in this context?
• Were there any risks associated with your approach? How did you manage them?
• What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation in the future?

Share an example of a time when you needed to influence others without formal authority to deliver results.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific situation and desired outcome
• Who the candidate needed to influence and why
• The approach and strategies used to gain buy-in
• Challenges encountered in the influence process
• How the candidate adapted their approach if initial attempts weren't successful
• The ultimate outcome and impact on results
• How this experience shaped their approach to influence in subsequent situations

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify the key stakeholders whose support you needed?
• What did you learn about effective influence from this experience?
• Were there any relationships that were particularly challenging to navigate?
• How did you ensure continued support throughout the project or initiative?

Tell me about a time when you had to make difficult trade-offs or decisions to ensure results were delivered.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and competing priorities or constraints
• How the candidate evaluated options and potential trade-offs
• The decision-making process used
• How stakeholders were involved or informed
• The impact of the decisions made
• How the candidate handled any negative consequences
• What the candidate learned about making difficult decisions

Follow-Up Questions:

• What criteria did you use to evaluate the potential options?
• How did you communicate your decisions to affected stakeholders?
• In retrospect, were there any trade-offs you would have handled differently?
• How did this experience influence your approach to similar situations later?

Describe a situation where you identified and implemented a solution that significantly improved results.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate identified the opportunity for improvement
• The process used to develop the solution
• How the candidate built support for the proposed changes
• Challenges encountered during implementation
• Specific metrics or evidence showing improved results
• The candidate's role in driving the improvement
• Long-term impact of the solution

Follow-Up Questions:

• What prompted you to look for a better solution in the first place?
• How did you measure success for this initiative?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• What aspects of this experience would you apply to future improvement efforts?

Tell me about a time when you had to work with limited resources to achieve an important objective.

Areas to Cover:

• The objective and its importance
• The specific resource constraints (time, budget, people, etc.)
• How the candidate assessed and prioritized resource allocation
• Creative approaches to overcome limitations
• Trade-offs made to stay within constraints
• The outcome achieved despite limited resources
• Lessons learned about resource optimization

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which activities or expenses were essential versus nice-to-have?
• What creative solutions did you implement to stretch limited resources?
• How did you communicate resource constraints to stakeholders?
• How has this experience influenced your approach to resource management since then?

Share an example of when you had to hold yourself or others accountable to deliver results.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and specific accountabilities involved
• How expectations and responsibilities were established
• The monitoring or tracking methods used
• Specific interventions when performance was off-track
• How the candidate balanced accountability with support
• The ultimate outcome and impact on results
• How the experience shaped the candidate's approach to accountability

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you establish clear expectations at the outset?
• What metrics or milestones did you use to track progress?
• How did you address situations where performance was falling short?
• What did you learn about effective accountability from this experience?

Describe a situation where you needed to drive results through others rather than doing the work yourself.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and scope of the work to be delegated
• How the candidate selected and prepared team members
• The guidance, resources, and support provided
• How progress was monitored and course-corrected
• Challenges encountered in the delegation process
• The final outcome and quality of results
• Lessons learned about effective delegation

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you decide which tasks to delegate versus handle yourself?
• What methods did you use to ensure quality without micromanaging?
• How did you support team members who were struggling?
• What would you do differently in your approach to delegation next time?

Tell me about a time when you had to recover from a significant setback to achieve an important goal.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the setback and its impact
• The candidate's initial reaction and emotional management
• The process used to reassess and adjust plans
• Specific actions taken to recover momentum
• How the candidate maintained motivation and focus
• The ultimate outcome despite the setback
• Key learnings from the experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you maintain your own motivation after experiencing this setback?
• What alternatives did you consider before deciding on your recovery approach?
• How did you rebuild confidence among stakeholders after the setback?
• How has this experience influenced how you anticipate and manage risks?

Share an example of when you had to balance short-term results with long-term objectives.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific situation and competing timeframes
• How the candidate evaluated short-term versus long-term priorities
• The decision-making process and criteria used
• How stakeholders with different timeframe priorities were managed
• The approach to achieving both immediate needs and future goals
• The outcomes in both short and long-term dimensions
• Lessons learned about effective time-horizon balancing

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you evaluate the trade-offs between short-term and long-term considerations?
• What principles guided your decision-making in this situation?
• How did you communicate your approach to stakeholders with different priorities?
• Looking back, how effective was your balance, and what would you adjust?

Describe a time when you identified that a project or initiative was unlikely to succeed as planned and took action to change course.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and initial goals of the project
• How the candidate identified the potential failure
• The analysis process used to determine a new direction
• How the change was communicated to stakeholders
• Resistance encountered and how it was addressed
• The outcome after the course correction
• How this experience shaped future approaches to risk assessment

Follow-Up Questions:

• At what point did you realize the original plan wouldn't succeed, and what were the indicators?
• How did you gather the information needed to make the decision to change course?
• How did you handle any disappointment or resistance from the team?
• What did this experience teach you about when to persist versus when to pivot?

Tell me about a time when you had to prioritize multiple competing demands to ensure the most important results were delivered.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific competing demands and their relative importance
• The criteria or framework used to evaluate priorities
• How the candidate gathered input for prioritization decisions
• The communication approach with stakeholders
• How lower-priority items were managed or deferred
• The outcome of the prioritization decisions
• Lessons learned about effective prioritization

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which demands were truly most important?
• What was your approach to communicating priorities to stakeholders?
• How did you handle pushback from those whose priorities were deemed less critical?
• How has this experience influenced your approach to prioritization today?

Share an example of when you needed to create urgency or momentum to drive results.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and why increased urgency was necessary
• The specific approach used to create momentum
• How the candidate communicated the need for urgency
• Resistance encountered and how it was overcome
• Methods used to sustain energy and focus
• The ultimate impact on results and timelines
• Lessons learned about motivating action

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you diagnose the causes of the initial lack of urgency?
• What specific techniques did you use to create momentum?
• How did you balance creating urgency with avoiding burnout or panic?
• What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation today?

Describe a situation where you had to coordinate multiple stakeholders or teams to deliver results.

Areas to Cover:

• The scope and complexity of the coordination required
• How the candidate established shared goals and expectations
• Communication methods and cadence used
• How interdependencies were managed
• Challenges encountered in the coordination process
• The ultimate outcome and quality of the collaboration
• Key learnings about effective cross-functional coordination

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you ensure everyone understood their roles and responsibilities?
• What systems or tools did you use to track progress across teams?
• How did you handle situations where one team's performance affected others?
• What would you change about your coordination approach in the future?

Tell me about your most significant professional achievement and what made it possible.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific achievement and its importance
• The candidate's direct contributions and actions
• Obstacles overcome during the process
• Resources, support, or collaboration leveraged
• Key decisions that enabled success
• Metrics or evidence of the achievement's impact
• Lessons learned that influenced future approaches

Follow-Up Questions:

• What aspects of this achievement are you most proud of?
• How did you measure the success of this achievement?
• What personal qualities or skills were most critical to your success?
• How has this achievement influenced your approach to subsequent challenges?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should interviews focus on past behaviors rather than hypothetical scenarios when assessing Driving Results?

Past behaviors are significantly more predictive of future performance than hypothetical scenarios. When candidates describe what they actually did in real situations, you gain insight into their authentic approach to driving results, including how they handle obstacles, make decisions, and take ownership. Hypothetical questions often elicit idealized answers that reflect what candidates think you want to hear rather than how they truly operate.

How many behavioral questions about Driving Results should I include in an interview?

Quality is more important than quantity. Include 3-4 well-crafted behavioral questions with thoughtful follow-ups rather than rushing through more questions superficially. This approach allows candidates to provide detailed examples and gives you the opportunity to probe beyond their prepared responses. For a comprehensive assessment, consider using an interview guide that evaluates Driving Results alongside other complementary competencies.

How can I distinguish between candidates who truly drive results versus those who just happened to be part of successful teams?

Listen carefully for first-person language about specific actions the candidate took personally. Strong result-drivers will clearly articulate their direct contributions, decision-making processes, and ownership of outcomes. Use follow-up questions to probe what the candidate specifically did versus what the team accomplished collectively. Ask about metrics they personally influenced and how they responded when things went off track.

Should I expect the same level of results-orientation from junior candidates as from more experienced ones?

While the fundamental competency is the same, how it manifests differs by experience level. For junior candidates, look for examples from academic projects, internships, extracurricular activities, or early career experiences that demonstrate ownership, persistence, and achievement orientation. The scope and scale will be smaller, but the core behaviors should still be present. Our interview guides are designed to account for these experience-level differences.

How can I ensure my assessment of a candidate's ability to drive results isn't biased by their communication style?

Focus on the content of what candidates share rather than just how confidently they present it. Use a structured interview approach with consistent questions and evaluation criteria for all candidates. Take detailed notes during interviews and compare responses against specific criteria before making judgments. Consider using a scoring rubric that clearly defines what constitutes evidence of driving results across different levels of proficiency.

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