Newsletter Article
February 2022

Asking the Right Questions in Recruiting New Leaders in an ESOP Company

Sample article from the February 2022 issue of the Employee Ownership Report.

Join as an NCEO member to access the full issue and newsletter library.

 

One of the trickiest issues for ESOP companies with strong cultures is how to determine if people from outside the company being considered for leadership positions will fit well into the company’s culture.

People smart enough to get to the finalist stage probably are smart enough to know they should say the right things if you ask them about how they might fit into your culture. Imagine, for instance, that you have an open-book, high-involvement culture where employees have a lot of leeway in making decisions and make a lot of these decisions in teams. That may not be a familiar culture to the people you are interviewing, but they may still say the right things. So how can you tell if people will truly be a good fit?

We asked Mike Frommelt of the executive search firm Keystone Search, which works a lot with ESOP companies, to make some suggestions. At right, Mike outlines the key issues to consider and suggests questions you can use to help you make a choice.

ESOP Culture/ESOP Leadership Traits

Self-Esteem/Self-Awareness

Will their ego get in the way of being a participative leader? Are they able to objectively evaluate themselves, admit mistakes, and be authentic with employee-owners?

Sample Interview Questions:

  • Give us an example of a mistake you’ve made at work. What was it and what did you learn from it?
  • Tell us about an initiative that went well. Who were the most key contributors on the team and how did you celebrate?
  • Tell us about a mistake that was made by someone on your team. How did you handle it and rectify the situation?

Consistent Communicator

Do they understand the importance of communication with employee-owners? Is it something they enjoy and relish or is communication purely a “necessary evil”?

Sample Interview Questions:

  • Explain to us your cadence for communication in terms of format, timing, and method, i.e., one-on-ones or teams? How often? Phone/video or in person?
  • Why do you choose to communicate in this way(s)?

People Developer

Are they able to develop others? Are they a champion for people development across the company?

Sample Interview Questions:

  • Give us an example of a person you are proud of who you have helped to develop. Why this person and why in particular are you proud of this example?
  • Give us an example of someone you were trying to develop/grow but it didn’t work out. What did you try, and why didn’t it work?

Strong Listener/Open Minded

Will they actually listen and incorporate employee-owners’ feedback? Are they open to others’ ideas?

Sample Interview Questions:

  • Share with us the best idea that was brought to you by someone on your team. Were you able to implement the idea? Why or why not?
  • Tell us about times you have specifically solicited feedback from your team or other employees in the company.

Action/Decision Oriented

Are they able to make decisions and move initiatives forward?

Sample Interview Questions:

  • Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision, one where there were many points of view on the right direction. How did you walk through the decision-making process and what did you ultimately decide?
  • Tell us about a decision you had to make without having all the information you would have liked. What was it, and how did you ultimately decide on what to do?

CORE VALUE: Sense of Urgency

Sample Interview Question:

  • Describe a time when you couldn’t move as quickly as you would have liked on an initiative or a decision. What was the initiative? Why could you not move forward? How did you resolve the situation?

CORE VALUE: Customer Focus

Sample Interview Question:

  • Describe a time when you let a customer down or didn’t deliver on a promise. How did you handle the situation?

CORE VALUE: Dedication

Sample Interview Question:

  • Describe a particularly long and difficult initiative you led or were involved in. What was it, how did you get through it, and what did you do to help your team get through it?

CORE VALUE: Excellence

Sample Interview Question:

  • Describe a time when a product or service your team delivered didn’t match up to expectations. How did you handle it? What have you done differently to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

We hope you enjoyed this article from the Employee Ownership Report. 

Join as an NCEO member to access the full February issue and newsletter library.