Interview questions to evaluate new boss

Kat

June 30,2022 at 3:46PM UTC

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Interview questions to evaluate new boss

I am on the search and screen committee for the person that will be my new boss. What questions (or types of questions) do I ask to help assess their ability to delegate and be flexible? I do admin support, but the last 3 people I've worked for tend to be control freaks and don't/can't/won't delegate until they're completely overwhelmed, even when I remind them I can help. I know this job is going to be a challenge, as we combined 2 jobs into 1 due to budget constraints. I want to help the person succeed and have a good relationship with them. Keeping the flexibility I have with my schedule is important, but it's not the easiest thing to judge during the interview process, since many people tend to tell you what you want to hear. Any suggestions for questions or other ways to assess these qualities would be most appreciated.

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Tomilyn RichardsJune 30,2022 at 6:58PM UTC
Come right out and ask... "Give me an example of a time you gave a project to someone on your team, even though you wanted to keep it for yourself."
Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterJune 30,2022 at 7:16PM UTC
I find the best way to learn about a prospective hire's management style is to ask a few people who have been managed by the person. You are certainly within your rights to ask for 2-3 recent direct reports' contact info.
AnonymousJune 30,2022 at 9:12PM UTC
Give them an example scenario of your experience and ask them how they would navigate the situation. That is the best way to get a direct insight into how they operate
Anne MatsushitaJuly 13,2022 at 8:12PM UTC
Sorry to hear about your past experience. You could ask "when do you find yourself needing to be deeply involved vs. letting your Assistant take the lead?"
You could also ask how they would describe a high performing Assistant they've worked with before. Try to get a sense of if they value someone who helped take things off their plate, or not. Best of luck!