It seems that half the world is looking for a job at the moment, and the start of a new year only adds to the crowd. A few words of advice. Unless you’re just completely up against a hard wall, don’t just look for a job. Look for a good job that fits you, and as importantly, look for a good leader too. It matters, a lot.

To the later point, here are some powerful tells about a prospective boss’s leadership style. Be on the lookout for them as you proceed thru the interview process: 

1) Are they on time and prepared for the interview(s)? 

2) Listen (really listen) to them. How do they talk about others, their team? What’s the “I:We” ratio? Are they comfortable talking honestly about team strengths, weaknesses, successes, and challenges? 

3) If the interview is F2F, notice how others in the building react to them in passing. Is it warm, or not so much? How do others refer to them? If you’re dining out (I know, what’s that?), how do they approach others, e.g., the hostess, wait staff? Are manners in evidence? Is their smile genuine, or forced? What smile? Do they leave a generous tip? 

4) How well are they listening to you? Does it feel genuine, or more like they’re just going thru a checklist and tolerating your talking? Are they listening to learn, or do they seem to have an agenda, a need to correct, or show how smart they are? 

5) Can they clearly (really!) describe the role and articulate their vision for the organization/team? Do they check for understanding? 

6) If given the opportunity to ask just one question of them in the interview, turn their favorite question around and ask them to, “Tell me about yourself” and then you listen hard.

You can do this!

One more thing before you go: If you’re in or aspiring to a leadership role and want to seriously level up your (or your team’s) game we’d be glad to help, via coaching, books, leadership training, assessment, or a high impact presentation delivered F2F or virtually for your management team. That’s all we do.