I had an answer ready but the 'concrete example' part is where I fumbled a bit.
Start by defining 2-3 key leadership qualities (e.g., psychological safety, clarity in ambiguity, servant leadership) and then tell a concise, specific story about a mentor who embodied them. Focus on the mentor's actions and the concrete impact on you or your team, tying it back to how you now apply those lessons as an engineer.
Pro tip: Choose a mentor story that shows you learned to navigate ambiguity or align cross-functional teams—Google values engineers who lead without authority and turn vague problems into clear plans. Quantify the impact (e.g., reduced misalignment, faster decisions) to make it memorable.
Briefly state 2-3 qualities of a good leader/mentor that are relevant to software engineering, such as creating psychological safety, providing clarity amid ambiguity, and empowering others.
Describe the mentor (role, relationship) and the specific situation—ideally one involving ambiguity or cross-functional work—so the story feels concrete and relevant.
Detail what the mentor did that demonstrated the qualities you named, using specific behaviors (e.g., how they facilitated alignment, asked clarifying questions, or gave you ownership).
Explain the effect on you or your team—e.g., increased confidence, better cross-team collaboration, faster resolution of ambiguity—and quantify if possible.
Briefly state how you've applied those lessons in your own work, showing self-awareness and growth as a potential Google engineer.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.