Part 6: Asking About People Development

“OK Jordan, where do you go with THIS story?” It’s a question we are often asked in our coaching work. This post is the next in a series that will discuss common “story archetypes” that candidates share, and what kinds of information you are seeking in each. More to come!

Candidates, particularly those in leadership roles, often share stories about the positive impact they had on the individuals they worked most closely with—especially current or former team members.

When a candidate talks about having a big impact on another person, as a supervisor or otherwise, it is critical to maintain an open mind. Untrained interviewers will fill in the blanks of the story and move on too quickly, because they don’t know where to dig. Strong interviewers avoid the temptation to jump to hasty conclusions, and will ask a few key questions that bring the truth to light.

As usual, let’s break this “story archetype” down into the WHAT, HOW and CALIBRATION content we are seeking.

WHAT. The main points to get here are the nature of the relationship between our candidate and the “coachee," the starting point (i.e., the nature of the issue/challenge the coachee was facing), and the ending point (i.e., the end result after the candidate had their impact on the coachee). The candidate will often share one or more of those three points proactively, and it’s simply a matter of ticking off the other item (or two). Key questions to ask:

• “What was the nature of your relationship with that person?”
• “What was the challenge or issue he was having?”
• “What was he like after you had worked with him? What was the ‘end state’?”

HOW. How did the candidate actually create the impact on the coachee? This is an area that is often overlooked, but that can be very revealing. We want to be able to almost play a video in our head of the candidate working with the coachee. A simple “What did you actually do with them that had the most impact?” can often get you there. Another strategy involves a “peak moment” follow-up: “What was the moment, or the action you took, that had the most impact?”

Sometimes, the HOW content can reveal negative information about the candidate as a people developer. Late last year I assessed a senior executive who invested enormous amounts of time attempting to coach-up clear underperformers on his team. This pattern repeated itself in multiple roles, revealing what we call a “supercoach” profile—a leader who over-invests in coaching up poor performers rather than simply moving them out of the role (or the organization).

CALIBRATION. There are several ways to determine the magnitude or impressiveness of a candidate’s impact as a people developer:

• One is to seek facts about the eventual outcome. Essentially, “What ended up happening with that person?” This may reveal transformative outcomes for the coachee (e.g., “He ended up taking over my role when I left, and he was recently promoted to CFO!”) It may also reveal unwise or wasted effort (e.g., “He did not turn it around in the end—my successor ended up exiting him from the organization.”)
• Another point of calibration is to seek what feedback this coachee would likely give in a reference call. Essentially, “What would he tell us if we were to ask him about those experiences with you in a future reference call?” Again, you may find that the candidate expects a glowing endorsement from the coachee, or you may find your candidate hedging or qualifying their story.
• Finally, you can ask for what this person’s boss would say about their impact. Although the “coachee” is 2 levels below the boss, most bosses are aware (and care) about the impact their key leaders are having on individuals at the level below. Again, you may find that the candidate expects glowing praise for their coaching impact, or you may hear a different story, such as, “She would say it was helpful, but I probably could have been a little more supportive in my approach."

Stories of people development frequently contain many hidden “pearls,” and it’s important to dig a bit deeper, especially when you need a people development skillset in the new role. Avoid taking these stories at face value—dive in with curiosity!