A must-know for anyone heading into a team leader interview, this question is frequently asked in team leader interview questions.   This question is to test if failure breaks you or makes you. Everybody can be successful in every step and knowing how an employee treats their failure is essential. The panel is looking for a candidate who knows it is vital to be optimistic about failure and not dwell on it negatively.  This is how you can tackle this question: “If failed, I would first analyze what went wrong and why it occurred before determining what I needed to do to make it right. Any failure provides an opportunity for improvement; therefore, I would be open and honest about it, offer an apology if necessary, and take steps to make things right. I would also impart whatever lessons I learned to my management and colleagues so that the organization may benefit and avoid such steps that might lead to failure.”