{"id":3409,"date":"2019-02-13T22:51:29","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T22:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=3409"},"modified":"2025-02-27T14:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T22:35:20","slug":"is-a-ceo-is-worth-working-for-4-questions-to-ask-a-prospective-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2019\/02\/13\/is-a-ceo-is-worth-working-for-4-questions-to-ask-a-prospective-boss\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a CEO worth working for? 4 questions to ask a prospective boss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re looking to leave your company to work for another, you\u2019ll want to consider this.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Recently, someone asked me for advice about getting a new perspective boss and potentially leaving one company to go work for another. He was curious about what factors he should consider before making the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d already vetted the role, the company, and the offer itself\u200a\u2014\u200aall important aspects to consider. But I told him, in my opinion, the most crucial thing to vet is the\u00a0CEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re about to join a new company, you must figure out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDo I believe in the\u00a0CEO?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

No company is successful with a CEO who can\u2019t communicate, who can\u2019t get everyone on the same page, who can\u2019t hire well, and who can\u2019t chart out a vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I remember interviewing at one of my first jobs out of college, and I remember it being really hard to tell if a CEO is \u201cgood\u201d or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plenty of CEOs sound<\/em> like they\u2019d be a good CEO. They\u2019re charismatic, they\u2019re articulate\u200a\u2014\u200abut does sounding like a good CEO really make it true?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After almost four years of researching and observing hundreds of CEOs, I\u2019ve learned to ask these four questions to discern whether or not a CEO is a good CEO:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: \u201cWhen have you had to sugar-coat the truth\u200a\u2014\u200aor avoid telling the truth\u200a\u2014\u200ato your team?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How a CEO answers this question reveals her barometer for integrity. Your CEO might laugh and say, \u201cOh, all the time,\u201d a little too flippantly\u200a\u2014\u200asignaling that she intentionally misguides employees habitually. On the other hand, if a CEO is too hesitant to admit anything substantial, that\u2019s a red flag as well. It\u2019s likely she\u2019s holding something back. Ideally, you\u2019re looking for a CEO to level with you and admit in a nuanced, considerate way when she\u2019s chosen to not be transparent with the team, and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: \u201cWhat do you think is your own greatest leadership blindspot?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is a take on the classic, \u201cWhat do you think your greatest weakness is\u201d question\u200a\u2014\u200abut with a twist. The word \u201cblindspot\u201d implies that the CEO has a weakness she might often overlook. So her answer to this will reveal her self-awareness. Does she have a hard time giving you a straight answer? Or is it clear that this is something that she\u2019s thought a lot about, self-reflected upon, and perhaps even talked about with peers or an executive coach? If it\u2019s the latter, it signifies that this leader has the humility and self-perceptiveness you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: \u201cWhat does \u2018success\u2019 for the company look like to you?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This may seem like an unassuming question to ask\u200a\u2014\u200aperhaps it\u2019s one you\u2019ve asked the CEO already. However, we often don\u2019t listen closely enough to the answer. If all the CEO is focused on is \u201cwinning\u201d and \u201cmaking money\u201d and \u201cdominating the competition\u201d in her answer, I can guarantee that\u2019s 100% what the work environment is going to revolve around. On the contrary, if she also talks about creating a sustainable, healthy culture, and making sure people feel fulfilled, challenged and supported in their jobs\u200a\u2014\u200ayou can bet that the work environment is going to reflect that. The answer to this question makes it crystal clear what a CEO\u2019s priorities are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4: \u201cWhat would an employee who\u2019s left the company say it\u2019s like to work for you?\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This may feel like a tough question to ask you prospective CEO\u200a\u2014\u200aespecially if they haven\u2019t hired you<\/em> yet. But it potentially is the most important question. The answer to it demonstrates how cognizant the CEO is of how they\u2019ve treated employees in the past, and how willing they are to admit if they\u2019d haven\u2019t been the ideal leader. Be wary of CEOs who say only positive things, as it shows their refusal to recognize their shortcomings or failure to understand how their own leadership behavior may have driven the other person away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re worried that asking these questions\u200a\u2014\u200aparticularly the last one\u200a\u2014\u200amight offend your prospective CEO, that in itself is a sign that the CEO might not be who you\u2019d hope for. The best leaders welcome tough questions and will be impressed by your desire to better understand how they lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anything, asking these questions will make you look better in their eyes. And, it gives you all the information you need to decide if they\u2019re a CEO worth working for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was originally published for <\/em>Inc.com.\ufeff<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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