GoolsbyLeadershipAcademy

Leadership Interview

MANA 3318/HONR 3303 – Org. Behavior

Select a Leader

Establisha Point of Reference

Request an Interview

Prepare for the Interview

Conduct the Interview

Send appropriate Thank You and follow up

Prepare report

VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!

This interview is NOT a job interview. Its purpose is to learn first hand from a proven leader. You want to gather information about how they developed their leadership skills, their perspective on leadership in general and how they look for leadership in others.

Select a Leader

  1. Consider industry and career interests
  2. Consider your strengths and goals
  3. Discuss options with Dr. Quick, Goolsby Leadership Academy faculty and advisors, and Goolsby cohort colleagues (network)

Establish a Point of Reference

  1. Personal reference is the most effective method.
  1. Personal reference and network, including family
  2. Leaders in your community
  3. Goolsby Faculty

Request the Interview

  1. Phone call is best. You may ask your reference to call or email an introduction for you prior to your call. In some cases email may be an appropriate communication source. Ask your reference; they may know how the leader is easiest to contact. A letter is the least effective method these days.
  1. If the person you choose to interview is not a contact through the Goolsby or UTA faculty, but you still want to attempt an interview, you should call and explain your situation. You may not be able to speak directly to the target, but ask for their assistant or someone that could intervene in your behalf.
  2. Briefly explain your association with the Goolsby Leadership Academy and UT Arlington.
  3. Explain your reasons for selecting this leader
  4. Remember that people are generally interested in talking about what they do and how they do it.
  5. Give specific details of what you are asking
  6. Face to face interview
  7. No longer than one hour
  8. This is NOT a job interview
  9. Purpose: to learn about the leadership experiences and perspective of ______as part of a personal Leadership Development process.

EXAMPLE:

“Hello, my name is ______. I am a graduate student taking a Goolsby leadership class in the College of Business at UT Arlington. As part of our Leadership Course we are interviewing leaders in our areas of interest to learn more about their experiences with leadership. Would you be available for a 45 minute interview to discuss your ideas?”

“Mr. Lannigan, I’m ______, studying in the Goolsby leadership model in the College of Business at UT Arlington. I would be very interested in interviewing you as part of my leadership development process. Talking with proven leaders gives us a better understanding of what it really means to lead. Would you be willing to give me 45 minutes of your time to discuss your experiences with leadership?”

Prepare for the Interview

  1. Be thoroughly prepared. You have 45 minutes and want to get as much information as you can. [If the interview goes well, it may last longer.]
  2. Preparation communicates to the leader that you take his/her time seriously.
  3. Research your target and his/her industry and organization.
  4. Develop a list of questions.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

  • Tell me how your career brought you to this leadership position?
  • What have you done to develop your leadership abilities? What helped, what was not helpful?
  • What do you look for in others to assess leadership potential?
  • What do you think about leadership today?
  • How would you define leadership?
  • How important is leadership in today’s organizations? Ask them to explain their response.
  • What do value most in leaders?
  • What specific skills should leadership development target?
  • Describe the ideal leader.
  • Tell me about a leader you most admire. What is it about that person that is attractive or admirable?

Conducting the Interview

  1. Conduct the interview in the work environment and in person.
  2. Avoid interviewing known people. Use this as a growth experience.
  3. STICK TO THE TIME PERIOD YOU SET UP!
  4. Take good notes on comments & observations.
  5. Audiotape
  6. May interfere with the information exchange
  7. ONLY if the leader agrees prior to the meeting

Send appropriate Thank you and Follow-up

  1. Never underestimate the impact of a handwritten thank you note. It is a lost art and will make you stand out.
  2. If you determine the best method of communication is email, make your email thank you brief and specific.
  3. Follow-up timely.

Prepare Report

The Leadership Informational Interview will be a graded requirement of this course. 100 Points/ 25% of Grade. Follow the format below:

  1. Title page
  1. Class title and number
  2. Leader’s name and position…how you got the interview!
  3. Date and time of interview
  4. Location of interview to include name of organization and address
  5. Your name
  1. Narrative section of the report report
  1. General background and leadership development
  2. How did this person get to their current position?
  3. How did this person develop their leadership?
  1. Leader’s Leadership style
  2. How would YOU describe this person’s style, personality, etc. based on what you’ve learned in the course?
  1. Leader’s Leadership perspective
  2. Describe the leader’s general philosophy of leadership. Born vs. taught. Transactional, transformational, autocratic, etc.
  1. Critical skills of a leader
  2. What does the leader consider to be the most important skills, attributes or characteristics for leadership?
  1. Personal observations
  2. This section is your personal summary of the experience. Was it helpful, stressful, exciting? What were the most important insights you walked away with in respect to you own development?
  1. Separate list of prepared questions attached
  1. No longer than 10 pages including title page and list of questions. This should be in double-spaced format, 1” margins, 12-pitch font.