People tend to behave very well when interviewed. They are trying their best to impress a potential employer, and have probably rehearsed answers to frequently asked questions. If you are an interviewer, it can be difficult to know who is the best fit for your company.
“We are deluding ourselves if we think we are getting good information about leaders by talking face-to-face,” said Barry Conchie, a writer for the organization. The Five Talents That Really Matter: How Great Leaders Drive Extraordinary Performance. “The biggest problem with face-to-face discussions is that it is difficult to park our own biases.”
When creating interview questions, Conchie says companies often focus on the wrong thing. “It’s not the strength of the interview question that matters; it’s knowing that you are listening,” he said. “Most people don’t know about that.”
For example, a typical question to ask a candidate for a senior position is “Tell me how you develop strategy. And how do you know it’s successful?”
“What’s a good answer?” Conchie asked. “What it boils down to is if the person who asked the question likes the answer. This is not a good way of doing things because it may not be a good predictor of whether that person can do the job.”
Instead, Conchie says hiring managers should ask questions that will reveal the most desirable leadership qualities. Here are five questions and what they can reveal:
1. Are there employees you don’t like to hire?
A few years ago, Conchie was a head teacher in the UK When teachers are being recruited, a common question is “Do you like children?”
He says: “No one in their right mind will say ‘no’ and expect to get a job.” A better question is, ‘Are there any children you don’t like to teach?’ That is a smart question because there is truth in it. There are some pretty challenging kids out there. We all met them.”
Some candidates for baptism were honest and answered, “Indeed, there are hard people out there, and I really don’t like to teach those people.” But others felt differently and answered, “No. I don’t care. I love all children.” People who say they love all children turn out to be the best teachers, says Conchie.
A similar connection can be made in leading a team. Authentic leaders will strive to lead all members of their groups—even those they don’t like.
2. Tell me about the last person you fired and why you fired them.
An important quality of a leader is to have the courage to make difficult decisions. Often, people ask, “Tell me about a difficult decision you recently made.”
“That’s a terrible question, because what do you predict?” Conchie said. “They have a ready answer.”
Instead, a good question is “Tell me about the last person you fired and why.”
“There is no decision as difficult as firing someone,” said Conchie. “If someone fails to come up with an answer, you learn a lot about him as a leader. What they really mean is that they are not firing anyone. Or they’ll say things like, ‘Well, we got this guy fiddling with his expense reports.’ Those are not difficult decisions when people violate the ethics of their organizations.”
Instead, a good leader should be able to talk about firing someone because of poor or poor performance or poor service to customers.
3. Can you live in a room where the picture is not right on the wall?
Conchie notes that another important quality in leadership is a sense of organizational integrity.
“There is no one in the leadership who tells me that leadership is getting easier,” he said. “Everyone says it’s fast and crazy. Even though we have all these technological tools that can help us, there are a lot of moving parts, complicated things, and a lot of things to get your head around.”
A typical question would be “Tell me about how you managed a complex project and made sure it stayed on track.”
“The problem is that the question is very easy to predict, and I can give you a nice answer even if I don’t focus on the details,” said Conchie.
Instead, he suggests asking, “Can you sit in a room where the picture is not right on the wall?” You can also ask, “Do you write down your spices in the kitchen?” Or “Do you double and triple check an email before you send it?”
“A lot of people tell you, ‘Of course I don’t. I don’t sweat the small stuff. I have bigger fish to fry,’” he says. But if you need high levels of organizational precision, you want not only someone who puts his spices in alphabetical order but also the books on his shelf should be arranged in order. And they double check the emails because if they have their names on them, they can’t be wrong. I have seen some people get off their chairs in a meeting to direct a picture on the wall. All these predictions are for people who have a sense of precision in the way they work. “
4. If You Were A Photographer, Would You Prefer A Telephoto Or Wide-Angle Lens?
Another important aspect of leadership is being a big-picture thinker. Having the ability to not only look at your part of the company but also to see the whole organization.
“When I solve a certain problem, I solve it in such a way that it does not cause another problem there,” explained Conchie. “A common question you might ask in an interview is, ‘Are you a thinker?’ Do you often look at the wider organization before making a decision?’ It’s a predictable question and the answer will be ‘yes.’”
Instead, Conchie recommends asking, “If you were a photographer, would you choose a telephoto or a wide-angle lens?”
“A telephoto lens brings something far away so we can look at details,” he says. “It is marginalized, because it deliberately removes things from the picture. A wide angle lens captures as much information as possible. If you’re one of those curious people who reach for a wide-angle lens, you’re very interested in that big picture.”
5. Tell Me About Ideas That Have Recently Interested You.
A big picture thinker should also be a visionary. A common question might be, “Do you like ideas?” The answer will probably be “yes.” Instead, a good question digs deeper, asking “Tell me about a variety of ideas you’ve recently been interested in.”
“You might be pregnant,” said Conchie. But if someone is stung by ideas, he will quickly trip over his tongue. If you are a thinker, you are crazy about wanting to know more things.”
A rational person should be interested in ideas that are not his own. Conchie says things that often fascinate them are different and seem unrelated to their work, such as how a plane’s wing height increases fuel efficiency or how implant lens surgery affects the nervous system.
“You can always listen to these people and say, ‘Holy moly, that’s amazing,'” he said. “They have crazy curiosity. If you want to look for a big-picture thinker in your organization, they better be curious.”
To craft the best interview questions, you need to understand the characteristics of your best people. Conchie recommends observing and noticing their nuances.
“Build a profile of their characteristics,” he said. Then ask questions that test those qualities. If you do this, you can develop a powerful ability to predict future leadership, ability, and performance.”
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