Leadership Thought #488 – 22 Questions You Should Ask Someone Before You Put Them in A Management Position

Over the years, I have witnessed numerous unsuccessful management promotions and equally poor managerial hires. Often, the outcome would have been evident if the employer had taken some time to ask a few basic questions during the screening process:

1. What is your personal definition of management?
2. Why do you want to manage other people?
3. Have you ever been in a management or supervisory position before this one? If yes, how did that go? If not, why not?
4. If I polled previous co-workers about your management potential (and/or impact), what would they say, and why would they say it?
5. If I asked people who know you well personally whether a management position suits your personality, what would they say, and why would they say it?
6. Do you consider yourself an empathetic person? Please explain either way.
7. Do you consider yourself a positive person? Please explain either way.
8. Would you say that spending time in groups with others tends to drain your energy or invigorate you? Please explain.
9. Who have been your management role models? What were the biggest lessons you took away from them?
10. Have you ever worked for a poor or bad manager? If so, please explain why and how it impacted you.
11. How would you describe your approach to communication? What would those who know you the best say?
12. What is (or would be) your approach to motivating other people? Is this thought process only theoretical, or have you applied this thinking in different situations (professionally or personally)? If you have applied your ideas previously, how did they work? Please provide concrete examples.
13. What is your approach to conflict management? Could you please walk me through three specific examples of how you have successfully dealt with conflict?
14. How do you address situations when co-workers or colleagues make a mistake? How do you respond when you make a mistake?
15. How do you cope with too much to do and not enough time?
16. What is your personal approach to time management and planning your work?
17. In what type of work environment do you thrive? When have you struggled with your work responsibilities? Why?
18. Please define what the word “accountability” means to you. How have you applied this understanding to your career to date?
19. Please define what “professionalism” means to you. How have you applied this to your career to date?
20. How would you approach the first two weeks in your role? How about the first 90 days?
21. How much professional reading do you do outside of work? Please share something you’ve learned recently.
22. When we look back on the management legacy you’ve had in your present position and potentially other management roles years from now, what do you want to be saying? What do you want others to say about you?

Hiring management talent is both a science and an art. Take your time to do it right. Engage in multiple conversations with the person. Ask a lot of questions. Have them meet with the people they will be managing and the colleagues they will be working with. If they are moving into a supervisory role, ask for feedback from their coworkers. Ensure that your existing top managers spend time with them. Check their references carefully. I also encourage you to have them take a personality profiling tool (e.g., MBTI, DISC, PI, etc.) and the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment. If you do the proper work upfront and practice deliberate discernment, your hit rate will improve dramatically. To scale a business, you need not only individuals who perform their technical work well, but also individuals who can step up and lead groups of people working in technical, administrative, and sales roles. The skill sets are different and often not transferable. Asking the right questions WILL yield better results.