Thank you for coming today.
I want to discuss your application for the job of prime minister. There are other applicants for the role, as you know, and we will be filling the position October 21. As part of the process, I have a few questions. Please answer these to the best of your ability. Let’s start.
What attracted you to the job? What made you think you deserve it?
What do you believe you can contribute? What do you believe are its biggest challenges in the early going?
What are your values?
What is your chief character-istic?
What compromises do you think are necessary for this job? Why now?
What attributes can you bring to the role that other applicants can’t?
What circumstances prepared you for this? How have you overcome struggles to reach this point?
What is it about your subject position that qualifies you?
What is it about your subject position that serves as a deficiency?
How many close friends can you count?
How moody are you? What motivates you? What enervates you?
What do you know about the job? What do you think you don’t know about it?
How would you spend your first weeks on the job? How would you deal with the current team? What would you do to attract new team members?
What is your management style? What kind of culture do you wish to build?
How open are you as a leader?
How much do you share information with those around you?
How much do you talk in a meeting?
What kinds of secrets do you need to keep?
What is the most regrettable thing you have ever asked of someone?
How do you encourage differences of opinion?
How do you build support among distinctly different perspectives? What do you do when someone stands up to you as a leader?
How do you deal with stress?
What is your vision for how you would define the role?
What are your best ideas for change? How would you develop support for these ideas?
What obstacles do you believe are in their way? How would you deal with those obstacles?
Why would someone follow you? Who has been your best boss?
What earlier experience can be applied to this role?
What was your first job? What were your best and worst jobs?
Who are your idols? Who are your enemies?
What are the qualities in others you most admire? What qualities do you most dislike?
What are your hobbies?
What has been your biggest mistake? What has been your biggest regret? What is your greatest fear?
How do you balance work and life? What did your parents teach you?
How do you deal with difficult conversations? How do you deal with subpar performers?
What was the best firing you’ve ever performed? What makes you hire someone? What makes you promote someone?
How do you deal with uncomfortable information?
What are the steps you take as a manager in a crisis?
What corners do you cut in life? How could you improve your health?
What do you think of poor people? What are your biggest extravagances?
What are your faults?
What has been your most successful accomplishment? What has been your most difficult challenge?
What would you like to accomplish in the next four years?
What would you do to make others safer? What would you do to make others more prosperous?
What do you believe are our obligations to the wider world?
What do you believe are our obligations to our children?
What would be your first decision?
How would you build a succession plan? What do you want to be remembered for? What do you wish people would forget?
What are your expectations of us?
What questions do you have of us? •
Kirk LaPointe is editor-in-chief of Business in Vancouver and vice-president, editorial, at Glacier Media.
