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INTERVIEWING PROJECT

One of the most difficult things for many people to accomplish is the ability to lead

other’s while maintaining and working on their own development. Being mindful of what is best

for a leader and for their departments are not always one and the same. As time has passed trends

have come and gone and methods may have changed, but the focal point of what it truly means

to be a leader has remained the same. Guiding those around you and mentoring others on ways to

channel their strengths are just a few of the highlights I enjoyed while giving these interviews. In

my current profession there are so many leaders with different qualities that it became hard to

choose for the interview process.

After reviewing the positive influences in my workplace and within my personal life, I

ultimately decided to interview two people from my place of work and one relative. For privacy

purposes I will keep all first and last names private but will specify their specific role in the

organization. The first individual I interviewed is the assistant general manager of our

warehouse, he has been able to climb the corporate ladder, having started out as a general

warehouse associate. The second individual I interviewed is the area supervisor for the inbound

department. The final interview I conducted was my grandmother, who was a business owner for

over thirty years before retiring nearly ten years ago. All of these individuals are at different

points in both their personal and professional careers, which is what made this assignment that

much more fulfilling.

When conducting these interviews I set a timer for thirty minutes, in order for the

interview to remain on track and keep the focus professional. The method for recording answers

I used was the simple act of taking notes, in order to ask follow up questions if needed. The

questions I gathered for each interview were the same for each individual, in order to compare

each answer accordingly. The interview was comprised of ten questions, all of which I used in
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INTERVIEWING PROJECT

order to gain further understanding of how the thought process may change as an individual

climbs a corporate ladder. After the interview I compared the answers to better understand each

individual’s leadership thought process. The biggest takeaway from each interview was that

leadership may be defined in different terms, but the core focus was the same. Making sure those

around you are taken care of and are given the freedom to grow as individuals themselves.

Leadership is about giving other’s the tools they need in order to be successful.

After conducting each interview, I asked the attendee if they had any questions for me, I

also asked if they had any feedback on the overall interview process. Feedback, whether it is

negative or positive, is very important in order for personal growth and necessary changes to

improve the interview process for future parties. The feedback given in the personal interview

was much more focused on things I did right and the professional manner in which the interview

was conducted. Personal bias was clearly the reason I received no critical feedback surrounding

the interview or my leadership style outside of work. While I expected the feedback from this

interview to be the least impactful, I realized receiving this confidence boost before the

professional interviews created a nice momentum. I purposely chose to conduct my personal

interview before each of the professional ones, which worked out to my advantage. After the

professional interviews were conducted I solicited feedback from each of them. Out of each of

these interviews, the feedback given to me by the area supervisor seemed to be the most

uncomfortable. The reasoning for it being more uncomfortable was due to the fact that we are on

the same professional level. This peer-to-peer feedback helped me realize I may have been too

comfortable during the interview due to the fact that we work side by side nearly every day.

During this entire process the biggest personal takeaway I had was the simple fact that I

am capable of more than I had originally thought. Even though I am already in a leadership
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position it is very intimidating when you are interviewing those around who are in a much higher

position. After about five minutes in my professional interviews, I became very comfortable, and

the interview turned into more of a conversation. I had originally slated ten questions to be asked

but ended up only using five of them, due to the conversation surrounding each one. Leadership

can branch out into so many different directions, each one of them mindful and impactful, that it

is very easy to get lost down a rabbit hole of what-ifs. My interview with the assistant general

manager had the biggest impact, the feedback he gave was not only constructive to the current

interview, but also for my progress towards the next step of my career. His feedback reminded

me that I already possess the tools needed to be successful, it is just a matter of sharpening them.

Each of the interviews went very smoothly, with no setbacks or complications. The

biggest surprise would be how smoothly each of them actually went. I set the thirty-minute timer

and did not pressure any of my interviewees to get through the entire list of questions. I stated

that I had a set of ten questions but would be asking the ones of highest importance first, due to

time constraints. I also let each of them know that while there was a timer, it was not meant for

them to feel rushed or limited to how they answered any of the questions. Setting these

guidelines but also making it clear that they had full control of the depth of their answers made

the interview go much smoother. As far as the answers of each interview went, the most

surprising was the area supervisor. Her answers were much more in depth and in-tune than I had

originally predicted them to be. She was very confident in each answer she gave and knew her

exact reasoning for every response. I expected more simple, close-ended answers to each of the

questions, but I was pleasantly surprised when we were able to begin bouncing advancement

ideas off of one another. Just as I was surprised at the high level of execution on my end, I had

the same reaction to her interview as well.

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INTERVIEWING PROJECT

After this assignment I will begin to be more open about my intentions and let more

positive attention be drawn to me. At work I tend to fly under the radar and silently make goals

and achieve positive results. There are other leaders in my building who call attention upon

themselves for much less, leaving room for other shared success. If I want to continue to develop

into the strong leader I see myself being, I need to be more vocal around my accomplishments,

both individually and as a team. Other leaders may notice my success but in order to become

relevant in the promotion conversations, I need to highlight myself to senior leaders who may not

have eyes on the floor every day.

After this assignment is complete I plan on aligning my current leadership style with the

feedback I was given. I do not want to completely change who I am and how I lead my team, we

achieve results, and my leadership style has gotten me this far. I want to simply add more factors

to my current style to become even more versatile. Approaching difficult situations and

embracing the diversity that comes along with it will prove beneficial as I continue up the supply

chain career ladder. Making sure everyone sees me as someone who is willing to go the extra

mile and wanting to be challenged to better myself is also going to help build positive

relationships with my peers. Open lines of communication are extremely critical in a warehouse

atmosphere. While I continue to develop myself into a better leader I will make sure I do not lose

sight on my team. One of the pleasures I have is the ability to develop future leaders. I will make

sure I keep a focus on mentoring them and sharing any of the feedback I receive with them as

well.

These interviews were a stepping-stone to what could be a bright future for myself. As I

am saying goodbye to ASU, I am opening a whole new career door at the same time.

Assignments and classes such as these have given me the practice and ability to build my
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confidence for future opportunities. After completing this assignment, I now have the confidence

to conduct any professional interview and receive any feedback with open arms. Without this

type of practice, I may have never discussed any of my leadership skills. I will be adding this

paper into my portfolio for any professional use in the future. The ability to reference back to

interviews such as these will allow for me to continue to build my confidence and work on

building my leadership skill set.

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Appendix

Interview 1 (Personal)

1. What are the most important attributes to look for when hiring?

- Openness to change, availability and accountability. In order for a company to succeed,

there has to be tenured employees who are willing to put in the long hours when things

go wrong, not just the leaders. Supervisors and managers rely so much on employees

being willing to adapt to any changes that may take effect. Without these people,

management would not stand a chance at success.

2. What’s the most important risk you took and why?

- Simply going into business for myself. Janitors are a dime a dozen, we had to really

stand out to bring in customer contracts. We put our entire livelihood on the line

for something may or may not have worked out. Fortunately, we were successful.

3. What is one decision you wish you didn’t make?

- Everything happens for a reason. Whether we made a certain decision or not, we were

going to have some time of repercussion. It is all about how you handle that bad decision

that dictates whether you will get through it or not. If I thought back to what I should

have done different, I would be questioning every single thing.

4. What are current goals?

- Enjoy my family, my retirement and most of all my peace of mind (what’s left of it

anyways)
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Interview 2 (Professional)

1. What are the most important attributes to look for when hiring?

-Can they do they specified job. If I am hiring another leader it falls upon whether I think

they have the ability to handle the pressure of a new building, a new team all while

building relationships with fellow leaders.

2. What’s the most important risk you took and why?

- Putting myself out there. Being the fall guy at times. Taking the hits while also

celebrating the wins. Losing is hard, achieving success can be harder at times.

3. What is one decision you wish you didn’t make?

- Leaving HD for Amazon. Lost precious years that can never be brought back. Lessons

learned. Grass is not always greener on the other side.

4. What are current goals?

- Continue to build my team and celebrate the hell out of this building. With their

success, honestly, comes my success and the path to my own building in the future.
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Interview 3 (Professional)

1. What are the most important attributes to look for when hiring?

-Are they going to show up consistently. Do they meet minimum requirements to do the

job.

2. What’s the most important risk you took and why?

- Starting my career path. Getting out of my comfort zone.

3. What is one decision you wish you didn’t make?

- Waiting so long to voice my opinion and say I was ready to become a leader.

4. What are current goals?

- Promote, Promote, PROMOTE!