Reference no: EM132196420
Organizational Leadership - Leadership Mentor Interview Guidelines
Step 1: Identifying a Leader Mentor
No later than Week Four of this course, you will want to identify a Leader that you can Interview. The Interview will take 30-40 minutes of the Leader's time. Ideally, the interview will be done in person, but it can also be done by telephone, by skype or FaceTime, or as a very last resort, by email. (You will submit your interview notes in the Appendix of this assignment.)
Here are some examples of Leader Mentors:
• A leader in your workplace (your supervisor, someone else's supervisor, a peer who is in a leadership position)
• A neighbor or friend who holds a leadership position
• A leader in your community, church or social group
Step 2: Setting up the Interview:
You will want to set up the Interview during Week Four of this course. The interview can occur anytime prior to Week Seven of the course. (Note the assignment is due on Sunday of Week 7, so you should avoid scheduling the interview for late in Week 7.) Your Instructor may ask for the name of the Leader and the date of the Interview some time during weeks 5 or 6, to ensure you are on schedule.
Here are some articles that will give you guidance about how to set up the interview with your Leadership Mentor:
How to Ask for an Informational Interview by Email
The Email Template that will Get you a Meeting
How to Ask for an Informational Interview
Best Ways to Request and Follow-up on an Informational Interview
Step 2: Prepare for the Leadership Mentor Interview
Here are some sources that may help you prepare for your Leadership Mentor Interview:
How to Prepare for your Meeting with your Mentor
Tips for your First Mentoring Session
Step 3: The Interview Questions
General Leadership Questions (to get a good sense of general leadership for this leader such as his/her leadership style, his/her views on leading change and innovation, etc, you will want to ask a MINIMUM of five questions from this article):
23 Extraordinary Questions to Ask your Mentor
Questions about Culture (to get a good sense of culture, you will want to ask a MINIMUM of these three questions)
How would you describe the culture of this organization?
How do you help new employees understand the culture of your organization?
Is there anything about the culture that you would change?
Has the culture changed since you've been in this leadership role?
Does the structure of your organization match the culture?
How do your employees expect you to act?
Are employees ever surprised by how you act?
Compare how you act during times of crisis compared to how you act normally.
What qualities do you look for in someone you promote?
What kinds of rewards or incentives do you give, and what are these rewards for?
What makes your organization unique, as compared to others similar to you?
What do you look for in new employees?
How diverse is your organization?
What happens here when people make mistakes?
Has your organization defined its core values? If so, how are they communicated?
Strategy and strategic thinking (to get a good sense of strategic thinking, you will want to ask a
MINIMUM of these three questions)
What are your plans for the next 3-5 years?
Who are your biggest competitors?
Who is involved in creation of the strategy at this organization?
Describe your strategic planning process.
What is the mission and vision of this organization?
How are the mission or vision communicated throughout the organization?
How do you ensure your employees are "on board" with the mission and vision?
Would you define your day-to-day activities as "future-based" or based in the "here and now"?
How would you describe your tolerance for risk on a scale of 1 to 10?
How much have you learned in this leadership role?
How much would you like to learn in this leadership role?
Does your organization have a competitive advantage? If yes, would you say it is sustainable?
Step Four: Say Thank You!
You will want to send a thank you note (card or email) to your Mentor to thank him/her for his/her time.