Skip to main content

The Best Interview Question I Was Ever Asked

 


Most interview questions these days are terrible. They are formulaic, repackaged and cliche.

What's worse than weak interview questions? Being able to delight with scripted answers.

This is the best question anyone has ever asked me in an interview. It was so different I was not even expecting it:

What has been the most fundamental idea that has influenced your life?

Some perspective.

I work in Supply Chain. More specifically, logistics. The biggest part of my career has been in the last mile space (think Amazon to your door).

I'm sure you can imagine why that interview question was not on my radar. Most interviews questions are technical, situational or aim to flesh out the environment.

My answer?

That most things are not as complex as people like to make them seem.

I know what you're thinking. That answer sucks.

Maybe it did. I didn't end up getting that job.

That was the answer to the question. That idea has influenced my life more than any other.

How Has That Been So Important

Embracing the idea that things are simpler than they are made out to be has been empowering.

It has anchored my thinking. When you approach a problem with a default mindset that you can solve it you see more possibilities.

You don't get discouraged. You don't feel like you can't do it. It allows you to take on large projects or a lot of responsibility and approach it with confidence.

Professional Impact

Did you know that only 20% of people still work in the field they studied by the time they have 10 years of experience?

I was on the flip side of that from day one. I have no formal education in my field. I went to school thinking I was going to be a lawyer. Clearly that never happened.

Going into operations and supply chain was all new. On the job training 101. I had to learn everything as I went.

Breaking processes down. Looking at the numbers. Asking A LOT of questions. You get a slower start, but then once that foundation is in place, mastery follows.

I have (and have had) a very "successful" career. I put quotes there because my views on success have changed a lot over the last few years. Nonetheless, successful by most standards.

My career trajectory would never have happened if I believed what people put in front of you. That you need some specialized knowledge from the start. I pushed myself to learn. To dig into the details. To understand how everything connected.

Nothing ever seemed THAT complicated.

Personal Impact

Things here will be more relatable. Most of us are far more comfortable taking risks in our personal life than we are professionally. Whenever you pick up a new hobby, sport or activity - you already believe you can do it.

Funny enough, the things I stopped doing (or struggled with) in my life were all before I adopted this philosophy.

I quit playing piano.

I should have been better at baseball.

My grades could have been better.

Technology has never been something that scared me. Software or hardware, didn't matter. I've built computers, taken apart phones and tablets, repaired the red ring of death, installed satellite dishes.

I have a garage full of tools. I have finished my basement (twice), built tables and shelves, installed flooring, framed walls, drywall… all of it.

I've fixed my stove. My dishwasher. My dryer. Changed the light bulb in my car (this is WAY harder than it should be).

Nothing ever seemed THAT complicated.

Awareness

Knowing the pillars to your paradigms is essential. No two people will think alike. 

In order to integrate with a team or find your place within a community, you have to understand yourself. By knowing what drives you, by knowing why you think the way you do, you become a more effective communicator.

Communication is king.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This 1 Thing Increases Your Career Capital More Than Anything Else

The Art of Better Decision Making Have you felt scared to make a decision? Maybe you get preoccupied with making the 'wrong' decision?  Did you know that 68% of people have admitted to not doing because they thought it would be harder than it actually is. Getting comfortable with making decisions is one of the biggest challenges new leaders face. You will be placed in situations where there isn't enough time to get all of the information. Or even harder, you will be placed in situations where you'll never get more information than what you have. The good news? Making better decisions is something that you can improve by being deliberate with your learning and how you choose to approach it. This is the approach I take to decision making. These have been test and is what I have used over my 15 year career to teach and develop teams. - Accept that you will make mistakes. There is rarely a perfect answer. Getting comfortable with ambiguity is a leadership muscle you need to
2 comments
Read more

Grace Under Fire

  Leadership is not a title, and it is not only something reserved for your professional life. One thing that has greatly helped me over the years is finding what is the same rather than focusing on why situations are different. There will always be differences and nuance with whatever you are dealing with, I challenge however, that there is more that is similar or relatable to something else than what is different. True leadership is about how you react, how you handle the circumstances in front of you. True leadership is also how you carry it. For every decision, position or action that you see publically, there are two to four times more that most people never see. Professionally or personally we all carry a lot, we are all going through something all the time. Being a leader means that you have to do more. It is your responsibility to still take care of your team, your peers, your friends, your family. You have to be a guiding light, a steady hand, a source of confidence and comfor
Post a Comment
Read more

Ego

   Ego is one of the hardest things to deal with as a new manager. You are in a new situation, you are most likely leading people for the first time, you are probably a bit younger ... and you just feel like you HAVE to prove yourself. This kinda makes sense right? You were obviously promoted because you knew your stuff and were really good at your old job, so now it MUST be your job to make sure everyone knows how good you are. WRONG! This is the number one mistake most new managers make. I totally get why, we have created this hierarchy in our corporate structures that makes people believe a good supervisor = a good manager = a good director = a good VP. This. Is. Completely. Untrue. The reality is that it takes different skills to be a good leader; and excellence at one level does not automatically mean excellence at the next. To be a good leader, you have to always be trying to check your ego. Yes you are smart, you probably have good ideas, you p
Post a Comment
Read more