Page 126 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

QUESTIONS FOR HIRING MANAGERS

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Have you considered the degree to which you want your heirs to have
strategic or operational influence in the company until one of them is
ready to assume the role of COO or CEO?
If there is an heir waiting in the wings, this is a good way to start a con-
versation about it.

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If for any reason you were unable to function as CEO, how would you
like to see the company managed? Is this known, understood, and agreed
to by your heirs? Is it in writing?
Transition strategies, or more frequently the lack of them, derail many
organizations. If a transition strategy exists in writing, you can have
some confidence that the organization is relatively mature in its gover-
nance.

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To make our working relationship successful—something we both
want—we’ll need to be sure we have good chemistry together. How might
we determine this, and then what action would you see us engage in to
build that relationship?
This question alerts the CEO that one of your success factors is the re-
lationship between the two of you.

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If you and I were developing some sort of philosophical difference, how
would you want to go about resolving it?
Here is a refreshingly candid question that goes to how inevitable dif-
ferences will be resolved.

QUESTIONS FOR PRIVATE COMPANIES

Public companies—those raising funds by selling stock—are by law re-
quired to disclose certain aspects of their ownership, organization, and
financial results. Private companies are not required to do so, and many
such firms stay private precisely because they prefer to protect such de-
tails. You, however, need to understand certain details of how the com-
pany is funded and organized so you can make an informed decision

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