The Unrivaled Leader : Part 5 – How to Interview

In the support of brevity, I will now provide some basic guidelines for interviewing and hiring that have worked well for me.  This again is based on both great successes and disturbing horror stories related to interviewing applicants.

One thing to keep in mind is that this whole notion of Human Resources giving you 90-days of a probationary period in which you can release a new hire for “no reason” is pure bunk.  I’ve had little success in trying to accomplish this probationary release process.  In the end, handling new hire performance issues ends up being no different from doing the same for tenured staff.  Thus, hiring the right person is key, unless you like spending months documenting and reviewing performance issues.

Infrequently in my career, I’ve wished that I could just “fire” someone on the spot.  No, not a “you’re fired” because someone pushed my buttons.  Rather, in the case of a mediocre performer who is able to just bubble up high enough to get off of various warnings and probationary statuses.  I have also come across staff that can game the system and works their way around the various liability concerns Human Resources wraps around performance management.  I understand why HR does this, but it’s still frustrating.  The same is true for someone who slowly destroys your culture.  There is a need to be able to say “you there, get out” with a modicum of HR documentation required.

And that’s why it’s important to get the hiring process right.
The key parts of the interview:

Your preparation – this is tantamount, and important, too!

Don’t show up at the interview not having read the applicant’s cover letter and resume.

It’s very obvious to me when someone is scanning my resume for the first time.  Schedule 15 minutes prior to the interview to read the resume and jot some questions.  You can even have a standard set of questions you start with within all interviews.  If you’re on a panel, share those questions with others on the panel.  This way they are aware of where you’re going with the questions and can make sure they don’t go the same place or can provide supporting questions.

The Technical Portion – this should be pretty clear.  In this case, you want to verify that the person knows the technical skills they portrayed in their resume and that you will require on the job.  You should be able to ask very specific questions regarding technology, such as “so how does a web service work?”  But be specific.  And don’t resume-spew.  That is, don’t spend the time showing off just how much you know.

commentSide Note: For many years, I used a technical test that I wrote myself which was wide and shallow (just like me!).  It had a large number of questions across many IT disciplines (SQL, C programming, web programming, object-oriented programming).  The applicant was forced to take it in pen on paper.  The grading was not to pass/fail.  While we did look for correct answers, we gave credit in areas where the person showed creativity or at least understood the concept.  Applicants hated that test.  I had my own team take it and they all fared very well.  It was very useful because it gave us a unique view into the problem-solving technique of each applicant.  We even had some that refused to take the test and thus we bade them farewell.  We EVEN had a headhunting organization try to steal a copy of the test because it was intimidating their applicants so much.

What doesn’t work well is having the applicant face a panel of technical staff members who then grill this person on all sorts of discrete information.  It’s glee-filling for the technical interviewers but borderline abusive for the applicant.  Unless the position is very, very technical, I would avoid a panel technical interview and instead do something one on one.

Also, don’t press the applicant with trick questions or questions so pathological that one would never use such a skill in the real job.

I was once asked how to fill an array of 256 unique random integers using a single C statement.  I was able to come up with a way, but not the way they were looking for.  Frankly, if any of my developers wrote code like that, I would have chased them around the department with a stick.  Useless questions that made me question the competence of my interviewers are not appropriate.

The “What If You Were A Tree?” Question – this is a classic.  You ask someone some odd question to see how they answer it.  Avoid this technique.  It’s a cliché.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – Actually, this is one of my favorite techniques.  The questions revolve around “describe a time when something went really well” and then “describe a time when something went very badly”.

First, if they cannot come up with a disaster in their career,  and this is not an entry-level position, then there’s a problem.  It’s the same problem if they cannot come up with something that went really well!  Maybe even a worse problem.

Listen for how the applicant describes the situation.

Do they say “I” and “me” a lot?  Was the good situation all about him/her and the bad all about the failures of others?  Press for details.  Was there any recognition after the good event?  Was there a price to pay for the bad event?  What was the root cause of the failure?  How was it mitigated going forward?  What could they have done differently?

This is a solid type of question you should ask at each interview.

That annoying tick – this one is simple.  Think back to when you were dating someone and how on the first one or two dates, some particular habit was cute.  For example, being called “babe”.  Then think about how after fifteen dates, you cringed each time your significant other said “babe”, often thirty or forty times each day.  Little habits that come up during an interview will be unbelievably irritating and not so endearing months later.
Other “affectations” to look for include:

  • Lots of sarcasm or joking. Some joking is fine, but you don’t want to hire a clown or someone insulting.
  • Lots of talking.  Simple questions that turn into long-winded expositions that wander here and there.
  • A lot of “me” talk, as in describing in great detail the wonderful traits they have, the amazing places they’ve been, the totally desirable lifestyle they lead, and so on.
  • Not answering questions.  Listen to the answer.  Are they answering the question you asked?  If not, interrupt them and pose the question again.
  • Too loud / too soft.  Does the applicant speak so quietly that you have to strain to hear or are they very loud?  If those sorts of things matter, think about passing on this applicant.
  • They only speak to the males (females) on the interview panel.  Odd behavior, something to keep an eye on.  Is there some sexism going on?
  • They don’t seem to know anything about your organization (outside applicants).  Really?  They never took the time to Google information on your organization?  To me, that smacks of being unprepared.  Ask directly “did you research our organization prior to coming to the interview?”  If they say “yes”, ask them some specific questions.  Do they know what the job entails?  Ask them to describe what they think the position is responsible for.
  • They speak very poorly of their previous position.  Not a good technique and shows a lack of professionalism.
  • They can’t come up with any reasonable things that they could improve upon.  When you hear things like “I’m too smart for my own good” or “I work way too hard”, that’s a fluff answer.  Press for something substantial.
  • Very specific, pointed questions (or uncomfortable questions) about you or the organization.  Again, a bad sign that this person has no tact.

What’s this on your ray-zoom-meh? (Resume) – worrisome things to look for on the resume:

  • Job hopping.  Did they spend one year or 18 months at the least four jobs?  Why?  Ask them to explain.  Are they chasing money?  Do you want to invest time and training and have them skip out?
  • Breaks in their employment times.  What happened those four years between these two jobs?
  • No jobs recently.  This one is tough because, if this is an older applicant or someone who maybe took a sabbatical, it may be okay that they haven’t worked for a few years.  But check it out.
  • Generic information.  Look for specifics.  How much did they actually contribute to the bottom line?
  • The Slasher.  Is the resume peppered with this person coming into a job and slashing costs?  Is that what you want?   Maybe you do.  But you can’t save your way to success, so maybe you should look for things that show growth in revenue rather than slashing of costs.
  • Prison Time. Why and why did they include this on their resume?

Too Friendly – does the applicant act “too familiar”?  Are they touching your hand or shoulder too much?  Do they act like they’ve known you previously?  Are they too informal?  Do they kiddingly tease you or comment on how nice looking you are? All bad omens.  Steer clear of these people.
Closing the Interview – it’s very important to cut the interview somewhat short.  There are few interviews that deserve to be more than an hour in length, especially first interviews.  For an hour interview, use the last fifteen minutes for the applicant’s questions.

Also, make sure up front that the applicant knows how long the interview should take.

Take note of the types of questions they ask.

It’s okay if they don’t have questions.  In fact, I prefer that I’m not met with a litany of questions from the applicant, especially if this is one in a series of interviews.

If the interview is not going well and this is clearly not the right person, cut the interview short.  There are few things more painful than trying to drag out an interview where both parties are clear that this is not a good fit.  It’s far more professional to say something like “honestly, it looks like this is not the right position for you – let’s wrap this up and save the time for some future position that you may be more qualified for”.

After the interview – take your notes and staple them to the applicant’s resume and hold onto both for some time.   When you get back to your desk, make note of the positives and negatives and write down whether you think this person should be considered for the position.  This is important so that when you review these notes later (sometimes much later), it reminds you what the outcome was.

In some cases, you may be required to provide HR with your recommendation.  Don’t send them your notes.  Summarize them and include your final disposition.  Provide clear and exact information on the decision you made.

The Unrivaled Leader: Part 4 – Don’t Bullshit

This is a simple idea that seems to evade even the most competent people, especially as people move up through the ranks.  It’s the idea that your superior ability or intellect gives you the superpower of being able to deceive without detection.

“If you think no one on your staff will pick up on the fact that you are misleading them, either by commission or omission,  you need to reconsider your strategy.”

What does it say about you if you’ve assembled a team that is not bright enough to pick up on being misled?  What will happen when they figure out that you’ve been less than honest?  Will it ever be possible to regain their trust after you are caught in misdirection?

I’m not advocating spewing every little bit of confidential information to your staff.  That would be very poor judgment and even poorer management.  When faced with delivering bad news – news that you may not know the details or may not be able to share the details about due to confidentiality, you have to find a balance between misleading and having the integrity to treat your staff with respect.

If you’ve treated your staff respectfully along the way, truly behaved as a servant leader, made sure to listen and act upon feedback, you might be surprised just how your staff will be to go through the most difficult times at your side.  It’s the fact that you are a respectable, empathetic, approaching, kind leader that makes it possible to deliver very bad news and still have the support of your team.  Trust me.

People like to hear reality, and your staff is looking to you to provide them with the possible opportunities for success even if that means they need to find that success in another organization or in another capacity.

Anecdote #1 – Years ago I worked at an organization that was ultimately acquired by a larger organization that produced the exact same software that we did.  Now, you can imagine the feeling in the department: that soon we’d be merged and as a result, we’d all lose our jobs.  So I approached my manager and asked him whether we had anything to fear or whether he could share any details about the impact of this merger on our department.

“No no”, he said, “everything will be great.  We’ll merge the teams and we’ll merge the products and have an even better offering to the market.
So I pressed him again – do I need to maybe update my resume and keep an eye out for a job, just in case?

“No No No”, he reassured again, “Just sit tight. All will be well and we’ll be in a better place soon.”
A month later, we were all called into a “kickoff meeting”.  HR walked in and laid us all off.

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I approached my manager and asked him why he could not even give me some idea that there was a chance we’d be let go.  In fact, it was pretty obvious to everyone (see my note about having a smart staff) that we likely would be let go, but his reassurances made us trust that we’d be okay.
His response was that he was just doing his job.

If the opportunity arises, would I ever work for him again?  Nope.  Did he poison me to this organization?  Yep.

So what was he supposed to do?  Was he supposed to tell us that we’re all losing our jobs?  Of course not.  Well, He could have suggested that the future was uncertain, but that the worst that would have happened would be we’d be paid a severance based on tenure.  He could have reinforced that it’s always good to keep your resume updated.  He could have done something other than telling us everything would be fine, which was a lie.

Anecdote #2 – A number of years ago I was pursuing my MBA at the University of Central Florida (go Knights!)  One of my business classes posed a thought question.  Here’s the short version:

“You manage a Wal-Mart that will be closing in 6 months.  Another larger store will be opening in the next town, but none of your staff will be moved to that other store.  You need your staff to keep working until the smaller store closes, and then they will all be released.  Do you:

  1. Say nothing, and on the day of the closing simply arrive early and lock the doors?
  2. Tell your staff the situation, and work with staff on job placement opportunities and/or lobby regional management for some “stay on board” compensation?

My leaning would be, as you might expect, #2. I asked my then boss and he said “most definitely #1.  In his words “this is a business and there are no friends in business”.  Ironically, a few years later he was laid off.

To me, a good leader is someone who represents the best in humanity; someone who, when you run into them long since you’ve parted ways, you want to walk up to them and shake her/his hand.  Party of being that boss is to treat your staff with integrity and above all, don’t bullshit them.

Next: Part 5 – How to Interview

The Unrivaled Leader : Part 3 – How to TAKE Feedback

To misquote an old Seinfeld episode where he arrived at a car rental location and they had his reservation but not his car:
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“Anyone can take a reservation! They key is to hold the reservation.”

Anyone can receive feedback.  Heck, just use some of the suggestions in Part 2 and you’ll be getting a whole lot of feedback!   But how do you make this feedback stick?  How do you TAKE it?  What do you do with that feedback?  Well, that’s why we’re here, right?

    • First and foremost, think about how you’d want your boss to behave when he asked you for feedback on her/him?  That should guide your behavior in general, but specifically when listening to feedback.  As you are providing input to your superior, what do you want them to do?  Picture in your mind a session where you’re giving your boss feedback and she/he is behaving exactly as you want them to.  What does that look and sound like? That is a clue as to how you should behave.
    • When receiving feedback, unless it becomes insulting or denigrating, just sit and listen.  Shut up.  Do not offer debate or contradiction.  Let the person and give them your undivided attention.
    • No matter how crazy the feedback is, think yourself “could this possibly be true?”  After all, someone thinks this, so it’s a perception.  And this perception could be held by many.  Just consider the possibility.  Could this possibly be true?
    • Watch your body language.  Don’t sigh, roll your eyes or deflect.  Be respectful and professional.  This is ESPECIALLY true if you’re receiving feedback from a group.  How you behave when receiving feedback immediately paints your staff’s perception of you.   Don’t interrupt and provide your perspective.

Once you have received the feedback:

    • Don’t necessarily attempt to solve the problem at that very moment.  If you can, then that’s great.  Otherwise, take notes and make sure you get back to the person.
    • If you’ve been asked to solve particular problems, make it a priority to do so and report back.  If you are asked to solve things that cannot be solved, report that as well.  Just provide accurate and timely feedback.  Make sure you close out the request.  You’re either going to act upon the feedback or not.  If you’re not, make sure people know why and then move on.
    • Be humble.  Thank the person for the feedback.  They’re going out on a limb and taking the time to educate you on something you may not be perceiving.  It’s a great service that not everyone will partake in.  So many people just quietly grumble or spread bad negative information rather than taking the time to tell you what’s on their mind.  Others are in need of assistance, whether with tools or support.  Others just need someone to listen to their concerns, even if you cannot solve them.
    • In a group setting, if the feedback is hostile, insulting, or tries to “incite a riot” by getting others to join in, you need to diffuse this.   It’s important and completely acceptable to cut the feedback short and ask everyone to please be polite.  Alternatively, you can ask if this can be discussed privately or at a later time (maybe right after the meeting).
    • Be self-deprecating.  Don’t take yourself too seriously or act in shock or get irritated, as if you are beyond reproach.  If the feedback you are receiving is total nonsense, you’ll be able to address that at a separate time.  Don’t be sarcastic or ridicule the person providing the information.

The bottom line is that it’s a service that someone is performing when they bravely provide feedback.  You can’t ask your managers or lower staff to seek and accept feedback if you are not willing to do the same.  Most importantly, there is going to be feedback that is 100% accurate and, if received and acted upon, will improve you as a leader.

Finally, as will be discussed in a later Part, acting in this way – asking for feedback, really listening, and acting on the feedback received – makes you a strong and admired leader, and this will only increase the respect your team will have for you.  By receiving feedback, your staff will be more willing to receive and heed your feedback to them.  It’s a win-win.

Anecdote: A while ago I was part of a focus group that was called together to provide one of my superiors feedback.  That person was at our table, and their job was to ask for feedback and write it down dutifully.  Instead of doing that, this person continued to remark “That’s not true!”  or “Really?  Really?  How can you feel that way?”  If it weren’t for the fact that they were bungling this session to the point of being funny, those of us providing feedback would have been upset.  The message to us was “we don’t really want your feedback”.

But YOU do.
Next: Part 4 – Don’t Bullshit

The Unrivaled Leader : Part 2 – How to Get Feedback

Alright, now you’re on the right track.  You have decided that feedback is essential to your success.  And you’re title/position is anything from an entry-level staff member to a C-level member of executive leadership.  Good for you!

In my attempt to make these posts direct and useful, without further ado, here are some specific ideas about where and how to gain feedback –

  1. Always end the conversation with “what can I do better for you?”  The job of an effective manager is to communicate a strategy or direction to staff members, provide the necessary tools and/or guidance to reach that ultimate goal, and – get the heck out of the way.   But before getting out of the way, keep tabs on performance by ending discussions with questions about what YOU can do for the staff person. Don’t make every interaction a coaching session.  What you really want is your staff to coach you.
  2. Schedule one-on-one’s with people across your organization, as time permits.  And when you meet, don’t discuss project status.  Ask the person questions about how they are feeling, their stress level, their notions about whether the job is engaging or not, where they want to be in three to five years, what you can do to help them be successful (see #1 above).  Keep it casual and interactive during the engagement.  And don’t force the discussion to meet any particular time frame: don’t cut it off at thirty minutes but also don’t stretch it out to thirty-minutes.  Get to a point where it feels like you’re wrapping up, and then wrap it up!  Take notes if need be.
  3. Setup “Fireside Chats” with groups of your staff members.  When I used to do this, I’d have my assistant set up groups of four or five to meet with, and pick a cross-section of people who may have varying opinions.  She’d then schedule monthly Fireside Chats, each with a different group.  If one of the people selected for a group was generally a “complainer”, we’d also invite someone who was more positive as well.  This keeps the group from moving in too extreme in any particular direction.   That being said, you could also do the exact opposite and say, invite-only people who are concerned or unhappy.   It’s challenging, but it allows you to receive feedback directly on the cause of concern.  It also could make the group more comfortable because they are speaking in a like-minded way.  Caution: if you do this, you want to make sure each person doesn’t simply build on the other’s input to create an artificial angry mob.  Make sure you diffuse discussions because people are shouting – or stop the meeting and reconvene using one-on-one’s, should this occur. During these chats (and you can call them Fireside Chats because it sounds friendly), if you have the option, supply fountain drinks or light snacks.  You want people to be comfortable in speaking to you and open up about their concerns.  And everyone likes free food and drinks!

    If specific people come up in the discussions, ask that the group speak more generally and then speak to you later to provide more specific information.  After all, if someone on your team is causing problems, you want to know so that you can independently verify what’s going on.

    Finally, take notes.  Spend time listening, NOT speaking or defending – no matter how direct the feedback is.  Ask probing questions.  Bring out comments from members of the group who are not saying anything.  At the end, review the notes/action items you took.  You’re not promising you can address every concern, but in my experience, most of the concerns will be fairly straightforward to resolve.

  4. End all staff meetings / stand up meetings with an “open floor”.  Set aside fifteen minutes or more at the end of the meeting to take any questions about anything.  Ask if the staff has heard any good rumors. If you have managers and staff reporting to you, remind your managers before the meeting that this is about staff feedback and not theirs.  If you have managers who want to provide feedback, use a one-on-one, or get all the managers together without staff and ask for their direct feedback.

    Note: if you have managers that may intimidate your staff to not speak, first, don’t invite your managers, and soon thereafter, change their behavior or move the offending manager out of the organization.

  5. Install a suggestion box. There’s no shame in having a simple way for people to provide input.  Make sure paper and a pencil are nearby and check it periodically.  And take the time to acknowledge any suggestions you do receive – especially those that you cannot practically address.
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  6. If you are the leader of an organization, create and distribute a “climate survey”. Make sure the survey is not too lengthy.  Search for samples on the Internet and give people time to complete their surveys.  Include open-ended questions where staff and management can supply unstructured feedback.
  7. Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation casually when you run into someone in the hall. Listen to me:  if you have a large team, it does not matter if you have forgotten the staff person’s name.  Just say “I’m sorry, I just don’t recall your name”  It won’t be taken as hard as you think.  BUT, if you forget their name repeatedly, then I suggest you practice some memory games. In this hallway conversation, ask honestly how things are going.   Or ask about a specific project or something noteworthy that occurred in your organization.  Make it a casual two to give minute “hello!” and part with “good speaking to you”.  This makes your staff comfortable in seeking you out to provide feedback.

I’ve always used the story that I want my staff to be comfortable saying “hello” when they see me out of the building, or at a store or restaurant.  I use Target as an example as in “if I see you in Target, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable to say hello – or try to avoid running into me.”

Next: How to TAKE feedback

The Unrivaled Leader : Part 1 – Seek Feedback

This article is one entry in a multi-part series of articles that will ultimately be compiled into a compendium.  

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The Setup

As a normal course of employment, you are subject to formal feedback.  Annual reviews, periodic one-on-ones, and so on will force you to provide and receive feedback.  These official requirements are an attempt to reinforce how important it is to communicate up, down, and sideways across your organization.

Interestingly, both when you are at an entry-level and when you are at the senior-most levels (C-levels), you may not be as inclined to elicit information on your performance (or company performance) – and this is a big mistake.

As an entry-level employee, you most need to know how you’re being perceived, beyond the official channels.   This is a time when you’re establishing informal communication points and it’s key to establish these quickly.  Seeking such information shows others that you’re engaged and aware of how important perceptions are.  Informal channels may provide unforeseen opportunities.

But often, after a series of promotions, this need for feedback seems to diminish.  Why is this?  Sometimes this is because the workload increases as with career progression and there just isn’t enough time to search for out-of-band feedback.  In some organizations, senior management discussing performance with lowly staff is considered gauche and something that breaks the appearance of separation between executive management and staff.  After all, when you make it to the upper rungs of management, there must be something really special about you, right?

The Servant Leader

Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world”

The modern servant leadership movement was created by Robert Greenleaf in his essay published in 1970 entitled “The Servant as a Leader” – but the idea is an ancient one.  This style is related to ethical leadership where leaders are governed by rules to make sure their actions are just and align with the corporate culture.

Many organizations want servant leaders.  The opposite would be leaders that practice autocracy, or command and control styles (authoritative).  Both servant leaders and authoritative leaders can be effective depending on the situation.   For example, during times of crisis where quick action is needed, autocratic decisions may be necessary.  Let’s assume for this article that you want (or your organization wants) you to be a servant leader.
Servant leaders need their staff to be satisfied and content with their jobs.  They want to make sure everyone is on board with the company’s direction and vision.  They constantly check in to make sure the organization at all levels is moving in the right direction and that concerns are addressed.   It encourages staff participation in decision making, also known as participative management.

This is sometimes confused with “leadership by democracy” where leaders move forward based on consulting and gaining consensus on the appropriate path.  That is not usually the case and not leadership at all!

The Directive

Regardless of whether you want to be a true servant leader or even if you would prefer to be more authoritative, the feedback loop is key.

►Next: Ways to get that feedback.