I was recently asked as part of the interview process to reverse roles. I would effectively become the interviewer asking most of the questions. Here’s what motivates me and what I wanted to learn more about:

  1. People: Great team culture where people have fun together while creating amazing work
  2. Projects: Exciting projects where team members collaborate and continue to learn
  3. Process: Design/Technology/Business collaborating together to deliver great products
  4. Problems: Solve problems for customers while generating revenue for businesses.

People

  1. Do you have a Head of Design or someone at the executive level who advocates for the customer?
  2. For me the phrase “choose a boss, not a job” makes sense, how would you describe your leadership style?
  3. How do you reinvest in your people (e.g. training, conferences, etc.)?
  4. How do you support work/life balance?
  5. What’s the size and structure of your company?

Projects

  1. What problems are you trying to solve for your customers?
  2. How do these solutions generate revenue or an ROI for your company?

Process

  1. How do you ensure you’re solving the right problems?
  2. How is the customer’s voice brought into the decision making process?
  3. How do you balance customer needs with business outcomes?
  4. How do you share what you’ve learned with the wider team?

Problems

  1. How do you balance solving customer’s problems and generating revenue for businesses?

The roles I’ve enjoyed the most have been where all 4 aspects (people, projects, process and problems) have come together. Great people/leadership, projects that solve real problems and clear direction on how to achieve these goals.

Three Lenses of Innovation