Page 53 - Becoming a Successful Manager

44 KNOWING THE TERRITORY

• If you had a magic wand, what specifi cally would you
change in our department? Why? What difference would
that change make?
• I want to be the best manager I can be for you. What do you
want me to know about you that would help me do that?
•What specifi cally do you need from me as your manager?
(Then proceed to discuss each need in detail.)
• Will you describe for me the worst manager you ever had?
What kinds of things did this manager do that made him or
her the worst?
• Will you describe for me the best manager you ever had?
What kinds of things did this manager do that made him
or her the best?

Strategy for Asking Questions

Discussions of each one of the questions listed could take the bet-
ter part of a lunch hour. For example, if you were to ask the last
question, follow-up questions to the employee’s initial response
might be: How did specific things the manager did or said make

you feel? Will you give me an example of how this manager han-
dled problems that arose in the department? Were there certain
qualities about this person that you liked? What were they?
Initial responses to each of these questions can stimulate more
questions whose answers could, in turn, stimulate additional ones.
Such in-depth discussions tell you a great deal about a person.
Even if you delve into only one or two questions per meeting,
as long as the discussion is informative and helps you know and
understand the employee better than you did before, you have
accomplished your goal.