Strategic Question to Ask Candidates in Interviews- Explained & Answered
Most "strategic" interview questions or articles about strategic interviews have nothing to do with strategy. Most of these are behavioral, situational, or personality-based questions.
These questions are all fine and dandy, but, to be perfectly honest, they have nothing to do with strategy. Or better yet, making that strategy a reality through strategy execution.
If you really want to assess whether a candidate or an employer has a real grasp of strategy, ya know- that tried-and-true principle that is central to your organization's profitability, competitiveness, and existence, then you need to start here with this guide for interviewers and interviewees.
The higher up someone goes in the organization, the more strategy matters. And what matters, even more is how much of a tangible grasp and experience they have developing, planning, and executing that strategy while holding themselves and others accountable to goals.
So, ya, this isn't your typical, "What color would you be or what superpower would you choose" type article- Buckle up.
What are strategic interview questions?
Employers are looking for candidates who can think strategically in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Strategic thinking is a process that helps you identify your long-term goals and develop a plan to achieve them. It also involves identifying risks and opportunities and making decisions that improve your chances of success.
Strategic thinking is an essential skill in any organization. People who think strategically can help their organizations achieve their vision and goals. They are also better able to identify risks and opportunities and make decisions that improve their chances of success. Developing strategic thinking skills is essential if you want to stand out from the competition.
In a job interview, your goal should be to obtain as much information as possible about the role, the company, and the team you would be working with. To do this, you need to ask strategic questions. These questions go beyond the basics and require the interviewer to think about their answer.
For example, instead of asking, "What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this role?" you could ask, "What projects will I be working on in my first six months on the job?" By asking specific and thoughtful questions, you can demonstrate your interest in the position and ability to think critically.
In addition, you may be able to glean important information that will help you decide whether or not the job is a good fit for you. So next time you're in an interview, ask some strategic questions.
Many job seekers focus narrowly on their qualifications and accomplishments when preparing for an interview. However, it is just as important to be prepared to ask questions demonstrating your understanding of the company and the role you are interviewing for. By asking strategic questions, you can show that you have done your homework and are genuinely interested in the position.
Asking thoughtful questions like these will help you stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your readiness for the role.
If you're still not sure if you're in the right place, here are 4 quick relevant definitions:
Strategy:
Three main characteristics of strategy:
1. Long-term focus; 3-5 year minimum; often a decade-plus.
2. Requires trade-offs and choices- You cannot be all things to all customers or people. Must purposefully limit what to offer.
3. Strategy setting activities include defining a unique position, making clear trade-offs, and tightening Fit.
A company can outperform its rivals in both the short AND long term only if it can identify and preserve a unique differentiating factor in the marketplace. Not only must an organization know where it wants to go, but it must also have the capabilities, functions, and people in place to help it get there.
A strategic plan must continually reinforce and extend a company's position around what it does best. Just as a good strategy is based on a sound concept or idea, failure to construct a cohesive strategy makes it impossible to implement.
Strategy is the compass pointing to where a company must go. For a strategy to be understood by the organization, the key is that it should be simple, unambiguous, and understandable to all. Best-in-class organizations understand that doing something is not the same thing as doing the right thing. Having a bias towards action is good, but just doing 'something' to check a box often doesn't add up to anything.
If you remember nothing else about strategy, Porter tells us this- All strategies boil down to one of two alternatives:
a) Do what everyone else is doing (but spend less money doing it), or
b) Do something no one else can do.
Organizations can't do both- It's one or the other. To determine which strategic option to pursue, organizations must have a solid understanding of their core competencies and unique activities, which can be bucketed into the ability to either:
1. Satisfy a customer's needs,
2. Satisfy a customer's accessibility issues, or
3. Provide an unparalleled variety of products or services.
The best approach to creating a sustainably profitable company is identifying a unique offering and ensuring operational excellence and execution are in place for the support activities throughout the value chain.
Hint- If your interview question isn't directly related to one of the concepts below, then it's not strategic.
Part 1: The Strategic Planning Process
· What Is Strategy?
· Strategy as a System
· The Building Blocks of Strategy
Part 2: Environmental Scanning and Internal Analysis
· External Environmental Scanning
· External Competitive Market Analysis
· Internal Analysis
· External and Internal Analysis and Planning
Part 3: Creating Competitive Advantage at the Business and Functional Levels
· What is Competitive Advantage?
· Business-Level Strategies
· Functional-Level Strategies
Part 4: Corporate and Global Strategies and Sustaining Competitive Advantage
· Corporate-Level Strategies
· Strategies in a Global Context
· Sustaining Competitive Advantage
Part 5: Strategy Implementation and Performance Evaluation
· Analyzing Strategic Alternatives
· Strategy Implementation
· Strategy Measurement and Organizational Performance
· Governance, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
Execution:
Execution is the ability of those in an organization to understand the strategy, break it down into meaningful milestones, translate those activities into the day-to-day, and consistently deliver results.
The three core questions of strategy-execution are:
1. What work needs to be done?
2. When will the work be done?
3. Who will do the work?
In "What is Strategy," Porter defined the three elements of Operational Effectiveness (Execution) as:
A daily, continuous focus,
No trade-offs between alternatives,
Pursuing activities to manage constant change, achieve flexibility, and pursue relentless efforts to achieve best-in-class.
If your interview question isn't about making the strategy a reality, then it's not strategy-execution.
Fit:
Developing a bold but executable strategy ensures leaders have addressed the questions of "What are we great at?" and "What can we achieve?"
It's not enough to simply have good capabilities; all companies have them, or they couldn't compete. A genuinely winning company manages itself around a few differentiating capabilities- and deliberately integrates them. In today's fast-paced business world, the difference between great and not-so-great companies comes down to their ability to execute the best strategic plan.
The Fit between strategy and execution becomes essential to superior performance because unique product offerings cannot be sustained unless an organization is efficient at what they do.
For many business managers, strategy execution is a moment of truth: will all the high-level plans and multi-year projects come to fruition as envisioned?
Strategy is a system of activities, not a collection of parts. Thus, the best approach towards creating a sustainably profitable company is to achieve Fit by identifying a unique offering and ensuring the operational excellence and execution are in place for the support activities throughout the value chain.
Fit= When Strategy, Core Competencies, & Execution Align
Core competencies:
Core competencies are comprised of unique activities which can be bucketed into the ability to either:
Satisfy a customer's needs,
Satisfy a customer's accessibility issues, or
Provide an unparalleled variety of products or services.
Operational excellence is not the same concept as a strategy. While strategy and execution are essential elements for a company, they are separate topics.
Strategy Red flags
When interviewing candidates for a strategic role in your company, it's essential to look for red flags that might indicate that they're not a good fit.
One way to spot whether a candidate will be a strategic thinker is to see how they approach questions. In either case, it's essential to probe deeper into a candidate's thought process to understand their strategic thinking abilities better.
Asking follow-up questions about why they chose a particular course of action and what other options they considered can help you better understand their thinking process. Ultimately, you want to look for candidates who can think beyond the immediate problem and consider their choices' long-term implications. These candidates are likely to be prepared to handle whatever challenges come their way.
1. Uncomfortable making decisions
One such red flag is if the candidate seems uncomfortable making decisions. Employees in strategic roles need to be able to evaluate various alternatives, weigh pros and cons, and forecast potential risks. If the candidate seems nervous or lacks confidence when asked to make a decision, they will likely be unable to do the job effectively.
2. Lack of leadership skills
Strategic planning involves setting challenging objectives and motivating your team to achieve these goals. Look for candidates who are good team leaders and are confident in delegating tasks.
3. Doesn't consider consequences or take ownership
Candidates who take their time to consider all the possible consequences of their actions and own up to their choices are more likely to be prepared to think strategically when problems occur. On the other hand, candidates who approach your questions superficially and pick the first answer that comes to mind might not be as prepared.
4. Can't connect the big picture to tactics
Another red flag is if the candidate doesn't seem to have a clear vision for the future. A good strategist needs to see beyond the current situation and identify trends and opportunities that can be exploited. If the candidate doesn't have a clear idea of where they want the company to be in five or ten years, they will likely be unable to develop an effective long-term strategy.
5. Doesn't embrace change
As the business landscape continues to evolve, so too must the strategies companies employ to remain competitive. Inflexible candidates who resist change are likely to stick to an ineffective approach, even when it is clear that a new approach is needed.
This inflexibility can have grave consequences for a company, as it will be unable to adapt to the ever-changing market conditions. Therefore, companies must look for candidates who are not only adaptable but also have strong change management skills. Only then will a company be able to implement effective strategies that keep pace with the constantly shifting marketplace.
6. Poor communication skills
A candidate needs to clearly articulate their vision for the company and inspire others to buy into it. If a candidate struggles to communicate their ideas coherently, it could indicate that they would have difficulty getting buy-in from key stakeholders.
Tips for assessing candidates' strategic-thinking skills
By asking questions about strategic thinking, you can ensure that you hire the best possible candidates for your team.
1. To create and carry out an effective business plan, employees need to be able to think strategically. This involves being able to gather relevant information and data, identify critical issues and trends, and generate creative solutions. During interviews, assessing candidates' analytical skills is essential to gauge their ability to think strategically.
Some questions that can help to evaluate this include: what kind of information would you need to develop a strategy? How would you go about collecting this information? What potential obstacles could prevent you from carrying out the plan? By asking questions like these, employers can better understand a candidate's strategic-thinking skills and whether they would be a good fit for the role.
2. Ask candidates to explain how they craft a strategy for their company/team. Opt for people who are methodical and assess all alternatives and potential risks. When assessing candidates for managerial positions, it is, therefore, vital to ask them how they craft a strategy for their company or team. The ideal candidate will be methodical, assessing all alternatives and potential risks before deciding. They will also be able to articulate how their chosen strategy will help the company achieve its goals.
3. An exercise you can use to assess candidates' strategic-thinking skills. Describe a past campaign or methodology that failed, and ask candidates to evaluate it. You'll be able to test whether candidates can identify mistakes and suggest better solutions. This exercise will help determine whether a candidate can think strategically and creatively solve marketing problems.
4. Many employers use hypothetical scenarios to assess candidates' strategic-thinking skills. By presenting candidates with a scenario related to the company's operations, employers can know whether the candidate understands the company's needs and can craft strategies that align with its objectives.
In some cases, employers may even give candidates a copy of the company's business plan and ask them to develop a strategy for achieving one of its goals. By testing candidates' ability to think strategically, employers can ensure they are hiring the best possible employees.
Strategy
What are the biggest challenges the company is facing?
Strategic interview questions help you understand the company's current situation and potential future risks. As a result, they can be extremely helpful in identifying solutions to problems or ways to avoid them altogether. When asking strategic questions, it's essential to consider internal and external threats.
Internal threats might include poor employee development or weaknesses in company processes, while external threats might be competition or Changing consumer demands. By taking the time to understand the challenges the company is currently facing, you can position yourself as a candidate who is ready and willing to help find solutions.
Who is your target customer?
Strategic interview questions can help you better understand your target customer. Knowing your target customer can help you exceed their needs and expectations, resulting in increased revenue and customer satisfaction. Additionally, it can help you budget more effectively by allocating more resources to areas that serve most of your primary customers.
Strategic interview questions can also help you understand what problems your products or services solve for your customer base. Answering these questions can give you valuable insights into how to serve your target market better.
What should the company do more?
Asking strategic interview questions can help you better understand how a candidate thinks and solves problems. By asking about what a company should do more of, you can gauge a candidate's ability to think critically about areas of improvement. This question can also help you to identify candidates who are motivated to make positive changes within an organization.
Asking strategic interview questions can give insights into a candidate's character and work ethic and help you make more informed hiring decisions.
What should our strategic initiatives be?
One way to ensure that your organization is on track with its strategic goals is to ask the right questions during interviews. By asking probing questions about how candidates would approach various situations, you can better understand their thought processes and whether they would be a good fit for your organization. Some essential questions to ask include:
· What are your thoughts on our current strategic initiatives?
· Do you think we have the right mix of short- and long-term goals?
· How do you think we can improve our alignment between work and strategy?
· What are our most significant risks, and how would you mitigate them?
· Are there any areas in which you think we're falling behind, and what would you recommend doing to catch up?
Asking these types of questions can help you ensure that you're hiring people who will be able to contribute to your organization's success.
How should we plan and replan with agility?
When interviewing candidates for a position, it's vital to ask strategic questions that will give you insights into their ability to think on their feet and adapt to change. Here are some examples of questions you can use to gauge a candidate's agility:
· Tell me about a time when you had to pivot quickly due to a change in circumstances.
· Describe a time when you had to replan an initiative due to unforeseen obstacles.
· What was the most challenging situation you've faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
· Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision with limited information.
· Describe a time when you had to manage multiple competing priorities at once.
Asking these questions will help you identify candidates who can think strategically and act with agility in fast-paced environments.
Tell us about when and how you have challenged a goal
When interviewing candidates for strategic roles, ask questions that will help you assess their ability to think critically, solve problems, and adapt to change. For example, you might ask a candidate to tell you about a time when they have challenged a goal. This question can help you assess the candidate's ability to think outside the box and identify opportunities for improvement.
Asking follow-up questions about how the candidate went about challenging the goal and what the outcome was can also help you gauge their analytical skills and ability to execute their ideas. By asking strategic interview questions, you can gain valuable insights into a candidate's skills and abilities and better assess whether they are a good fit for your organization.
Internal insight:
To better understand how candidates think about and approach risk, we recommend asking the following strategic interview question: "In working with your people over the last six months, we observed a tendency towards risk avoidance, leading to slow decision-making. Does that square with your own view? What do you think is behind that behavior?"
This question probes a candidate's ability to self-reflect and identify underlying motivations. It also allows candidates to share their views on risk and how it should be managed. Asking this Question can help you better understand a candidate's thought process and whether they would be a good fit for your organization.
Ask about the external environment: "
Some good questions to ask include: "Why do you think (competitor x) has proliferated in that market?", "Some of your competitors have created virtual customer communities…do you have any initiatives in this area?" and "What do you think is the biggest threat to (company x) in the next 5 years?"
Asking these types of questions will help you assess whether or not the candidate has a clear understanding of the market landscape and your company's challenges. It will also give you a sense of whether the candidate can think strategically and create creative solutions to problems.
Redefine the problem:
Asking strategic interview questions can help you better understand whether a candidate will be a good fit for your organization. This question is designed to get the candidate thinking about organizational change more deeply.
By asking about the root causes of lack of teamwork, you can see whether the candidate can think critically about complex problems. This question can also help you to gauge the candidate's ability to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions. Asking strategic interview questions like this can help you find the best candidates for your organization.
Learn more about their thinking:
When interviewing candidates for strategic roles, it is essential to ask questions that will give you insights into their thinking process.
These types of questions can help you understand how the candidate approaches problem-solving and whether they can think creatively about potential solutions. Here are some examples of strategic interview questions that can help you to learn more about a candidate's thought process:
1. What do you think are our options to grow our European business?
2. How would you reduce your customer acquisition costs?
3. What are some ways to improve your share of the pie?
4. How would you expand into new markets?
5. What are the most important criteria for success in this role?
6. How do you assess risks and opportunities?
7. What is your approach to problem-solving?
8. How do you generate new ideas?
9. How do you prioritize and execute initiatives?
10. What is the most important critical success factor in this role?
Asking questions like these during an interview can help you better understand a candidate's strategic thinking skills and whether they are a good fit for the role.
10. What could your current company do to be more successful?
Strategic interview questions for candidates can help to assess their ability to think critically about their current organization and offer constructive criticism. Asking a question about what could be done to make the company more successful allows you to gauge the candidate's level of critical thinking and whether or not they tend to be negative in their assessment of work environments.
If the candidate can answer this question, it shows that they can see the potential for improvement in their current situation. This question can help you identify strong candidates who can contribute to making your company more successful.
How much time should we invest in strategic planning? What methods would we use?
Strategic planning is a process that any organization should engage in regularly. Strategic planning aims to ensure that the organization can achieve its desired outcomes while also considering the ever-changing landscape in which it operates.
While there are many different ways to approach strategic planning, it is essential to remember that the process should be tailored to the organization's specific needs. With that in mind, here are some questions that can help to assess a candidate's strategic planning skills:
· What is your experience with Strategic Planning?
· How much time do you feel is necessary to invest in Strategic Planning?
· What methods do you feel work best when conducting Strategic Planning?
· Can you give an example of your successful strategic plan?
· What do you think is the most crucial aspect of Strategic Planning?
· How do you go about setting goals during the Strategic Planning process?
· How do you evaluate progress when executing a Strategic Plan?
· What are some common pitfalls that can occur during Strategic Planning? How do you avoid them?
Asking questions like these during an interview can help to give you a better sense of a candidate's strategic planning skills. With this information, you will be better equipped to make an informed decision about who to bring onto your team.
What important factors do you consider when building a strategic plan?
When interviewing candidates for a strategic planning role, employers should ask questions that assess the candidate's ability to build an effective strategic plan. In particular, employers should inquire about the candidate's process for identifying the key stakeholders and objectives involved in the strategic planning process.
The candidate should also be able to provide examples of how they have successfully built effective strategic plans in the past. By asking these questions, employers can better understand whether the candidate has the skills and experience necessary to succeed in a strategic planning role.
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Strategy-Execution
Strategy-Execution interview questions are designed to help you assess a candidate's ability to translate theoretical business concepts into real-world solutions. This skill set is critical for any business professional, as it allows them to take an abstract idea and turn it into a reality.
When asking Strategy-Execution interview questions, probe deeply into the candidate's thought process and ability to think on their feet. By asking these types of questions, you'll get a better sense of the candidate's strategic thinking ability, creativity, and resourcefulness.
Asking follow-up questions can also be helpful. For instance, you might inquire about what could have been done differently or better in hindsight. By asking strategic interview questions, you can gain valuable insights into a candidate's ability to think on their feet and execute effectively.
How can you strike a balance between future planning and also being there for your staff?
Strategic interview questions can help candidates demonstrate their future planning and present-focused abilities. One way to ask about this is, "How do you balance short-term and long-term goals?" This question can help reveal if the candidate has difficulty thinking ahead or if they tend to focus too much on the present moment.
Another question that can be helpful is, "What are some steps you take to stay organized and efficient?" This Question can show if the candidate can think ahead and plan for potential obstacles. Asking strategic interview questions can give you insight into a candidate's ability to balance multiple demands and plan for the future while still being present in the moment.
How do you ensure those on your team know who has to do what and when without micromanaging them?
Strategy Execution interview questions probe a candidate's ability to see the big picture and then develop and execute a plan to achieve specific goals. To assess a candidate's Strategy Execution skills, ask questions that focus on four areas: goal setting, planning, implementation, and monitoring/adjusting.
1. Goal setting: How do you go about setting goals? What factors do you take into account? How do you ensure those goals are realistic and achievable?
2. Planning: Once you have set goals, how do you develop a plan to achieve them? What steps do you take? Who is involved in the planning process?
3. Implementation: How do you ensure that the plan is executed effectively? Who is responsible for each task? How do you hold people accountable? What processes or tools do you use to track progress?
4. Monitoring/adjusting: How do you monitor progress as the plan is being executed? What metrics do you use? What happens if the plan isn't working - how do you adjust the course?
Questions like these provide insights into a candidate's Strategy Execution skills. Look for candidates who can set clear and achievable goals, develop detailed plans, delegate responsibility effectively, and course correct when necessary. These individuals will be able to execute your company's strategies successfully.
What is the best way to measure your progress?
Strategy-Execution interview questions can help determine if a candidate can develop and implement a company strategy. Furthermore, these questions can help you assess if the candidate can measure the company strategy's progress and make necessary adjustments. Asking the right questions during an interview can give valuable insights into a candidate's ability to lead and execute a company strategy. The following are a few examples of strategic interview questions that can help you assess a candidate's skills and experience:
· What is the best way to measure your progress?
· How do you develop and implement a company strategy?
· What are some of the challenges you have faced when executing a company strategy?
· How do you adapt to changes in the marketplace?
· What is your experience with measuring and adjusting company strategies?
By asking these types of questions, you can better understand a candidate's qualifications and whether they would be a good fit for the role. In today's ever-changing business landscape, it's more important than ever to hire candidates who are not only qualified but also have the ability to lead and execute a company strategy.
Are your employees committed to helping each other?
Every organization has its own culture, so it's important to find out if a candidate is a good fit for that culture before hiring. One way to do that is to ask strategic interview questions that probe a candidate's commitment to helping others.
Some examples of such questions are: "What was a time when you went above and beyond to help a coworker?" or "Can you think of a time when you disagreed with a team member? How did you handle it?" Asking candidates about their past behavior concerning teamwork can give you insight into whether or not they would be a good fit for your organization.
How will you train and develop your team?
How will you train and develop your team? This is a strategic interview question for candidates. The interviewer wants to know if the candidate has a plan for how they will train and develop their team. It's essential to train and develop your team so they can improve their occupational skills and possibly pursue advancement opportunities.
A good answer to this question would include a brief overview of the candidate's strategy for training and development, as well as some specific examples of how they have implemented this strategy in the past. The interviewer is looking for evidence that the candidate can think strategically about training and development and have the experience and knowledge to execute their plan effectively.
Ask about implementation:
It is vital to ask interview questions assessing their ability to successfully implement change to ascertain whether a candidate is a right fit for a Strategy-Execution role. To this end, a good interview question would be: "How would you assess your progress in creating a more client-centric culture? What have you accomplished, and where are you lagging?"
This Question allows the candidate to demonstrate their understanding of the importance of creating a client-centric culture and their ability to assess their own progress in implementing this change. Furthermore, it allows the candidate to highlight their successes and challenges in executing this strategy, providing insights into their problem-solving skills. As such, this Question can give you valuable insights into a candidate's suitability for a Strategy-Execution role.
How do you keep an organization on track with the goal and aims of the company?
The goal is to determine how the candidate plans and implements strategy within an organization. This will give you insight into whether or not they can help you achieve your company's goals and aims. Here are some sample questions:
· What is your experience with developing and executing strategy?
· Can you give me an example of a time when you had to make a difficult strategic decision?
· What process do you use to develop a strategy?
· How do you ensure that everyone in the organization is on board with the plan?
· What challenges have you faced when trying to implement the strategy?
· How do you measure the success of a strategic initiative?
· What are the most important factors to consider when making a strategic decision?
These questions will help you better understand the candidate's understanding of strategy and how they would put it into practice within your organization.
Asking questions about specific challenges they've faced and how they overcame them will also give you valuable insight into their problem-solving skills. With these questions, you'll get a clearer idea of whether or not the candidate is suitable for the job.
In what ways do you keep your team informed of your strategic decisions?
Strategy Execution interview questions help identify a candidate's ability to lead and work with others to achieve common goals. By asking questions about how a candidate communicates strategic decisions, an interviewer can better understand the candidate's leadership style and ability to work with others.
Additionally, these questions can help surface any potential communication or interpersonal issues that could impact the candidate's ability to execute strategic initiatives. Ultimately, these questions can help an organization determine whether a candidate is a good fit for its team and culture.
Describe when you proactively identified and addressed an issue at your company.
When interviewing candidates for strategic roles at your company, it is essential to ask questions that will give you insights into their ability to execute on strategy. One key question is, "Describe a time when you proactively identified and addressed an issue at your company."
This question can help you to assess a candidate's ability to identify problems, develop solutions, and implement change. Other strategy-execution questions you may want to ask include "What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career? How did you address them?", "Tell me about a time when you had to make difficult decisions. What factors did you consider? What was the outcome?"
Asking these questions will help you hire the best candidates for strategic roles at your company.
Describe a time when you failed to achieve your goals and had to follow a different approach. What happened?
The ability to set and execute goals is essential for success in any industry. This Question probes a candidate's ability to set goals and develop and execute a plan to achieve those goals. In many cases, the best-laid plans don't always work out as intended. This Question allows the interviewer to see how a candidate reacts when their original strategy doesn't pan out. Do they give up? Do they move on to a new goal? What lessons did they learn from the experience? Asking about a time when a candidate had to change their approach can give you valuable insight into their problem-solving abilities and resilience.
What are the key factors you consider when building an action plan? (e.g., to increase sales)
Strategy-Execution interview questions are designed to test candidates' ability to think strategically and execute their plans.
To build an effective action plan, a candidate needs to consider several factors, including the company's goals, the resources available, and the competitive landscape. By asking a candidate how they would approach building an action plan, you can get a better sense of their strategic thinking skills and whether they would be able to put together an effective plan that meets your company's needs.
How do you measure a strategy's effectiveness?
There is a multitude of questions that can be asked during an interview to help assess a candidate's ability to execute Strategy. Here are some examples:
· What was the most complex strategic initiative that you were responsible for executing? Why was it complex? What was your role? How did you ensure successful execution?
· What methods do you use to develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs)? Can you provide an example of how you utilized KPIs to improve performance?
· How do you prioritize initiatives and align resources with the company's overall objectives? Can you provide an example of a time when you had to make trade-offs between different initiatives?
· What are some of the common pitfalls in strategy execution? How do you avoid them?
· In your experience, what is the biggest challenge in executing change programs effectively? What are some of the most effective techniques you have used to overcome this challenge?
Questions such as these can help to hire managers gain insights into a candidate's strategic thinking and ability to execute initiatives.
By Gauging a candidate's past experiences and understanding common challenges, hiring managers can better understand whether or not the candidate will likely be successful in executing the Strategy.
Ask about organizational effectiveness:
Organizations are looking for executives who can help them close the strategy-execution gap. The problem is that most job candidates don't know how to discuss their ability to strategic thinking and execution. As a result, interviewers need to ask questions that will help them identify whether or not a candidate has a suitable skill set. Here are some questions that can help:
1. What is your experience with developing and implementing strategic plans?
2. Can you give me an example of a time when you had to make a quick decision in the face of uncertainty?
3. What is your experience with leading change initiatives?
4. Can you give me an example of a time when you had to manage conflicting priorities?
5. Can you tell me about a time when you had to think outside the box to solve a problem?
6. What is your experience with monitoring and adjusting plans based on results?
7. Can you give me an example of a time when you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder?
8. Can you tell me about a time when you had to make a tough call?
9. What is your experience with managing risk?
10. Can you give me an example of a time when things didn't go according to plan?
Asking these types of questions will help interviewers get a better sense of a candidate's ability to think strategically and execute effectively. With the right candidate in place, organizations can start to close the gap between Strategy and Execution.
What are your goals for Self-Improvement over the next year?
Strategy-Execution interview questions help assess a candidate's ability to set and achieve goals. This Question allows you to see if the candidate has any goals for self-improvement over the next year. If they do, it shows that they are motivated to improve their skills and grow as a person.
If they do not have any goals, it could indicate that they are not very proactive regarding self-improvement. Either way, this Question can give you valuable insights into the candidate's motivation and commitment to self-improvement.
What is your ideal culture to work in?
Strategy-Execution interview questions test a candidate's ability to turn high-level concepts into actionable steps. To assess a candidate's fit for your company, it is essential to ask questions that will give you insight into their thought process and how they would approach real-world challenges.
For example, you might ask a candidate, "What is your ideal culture to work in?" or "How would you implement a new strategy?" By asking strategic interview questions, you can better understand whether a candidate is a good fit for your organization. And how they would help to improve the culture.
Are we regularly syncing strategy with execution?
A complete line of sight makes it possible to calibrate strategy, planning, and execution continuously. The fastest organizations with the highest-quality outcomes—plan more frequently, which improves their ability to respond to change.
1. What are our top strategies, and how are we executing against them?
2. How well do our current execution plans align with our overall strategy?
3. Are we making progress against our goals and objectives?
4. Where do we need to adjust our plans to achieve our desired results?
5. Are we continuously monitoring and course-correcting as needed based on feedback and data?
6. How effective are our current tools, processes, and systems for executing our strategy?
7. Are there any gaps or areas of improvement that we need to address?
8. What can we learn from our successes and failures regarding strategy and execution?
9. How can we continue improving our strategy and execution approach in the future?
Are our employees engaged, empowered, and aligned with strategic outcomes?
Interviewers can ask execution-focused questions to determine if a candidate is strategic. For example: "How have you gone about achieving a goal when it's outside of your direct control?" or "What process or tool do you use to help you think through problem areas?"
With these types of questions, interviewers can identify whether the candidate can take a broad; the goal is to see if they can spot opportunities, set priorities, and develop an action plan that will lead to successful results. By asking execution-focused questions, interviewers can assess whether candidates can think strategically and execute their vision.
The whole strategy-execution package
To ensure that a candidate can help your organization build a complete line of sight, plan continuously, replan with agility, and support and empower employees, it is essential to ask strategic interview questions. Some examples of such questions include:
· What are your thoughts on the connection between strategy and execution?
· How can an organization achieve a continuous connection between these two areas?
· What are the most important factors to consider when planning for organizational transformation?
· What are your thoughts on the role of employees in supporting and empowering organizational change?
By asking these questions, you will gauge a candidate's understanding of strategy and execution and how they can be used in tandem to create a successful organization. Asking these types of questions is essential to ensuring that your organization can thrive.
Lead and prepare strategically
Strategy and Strategy-Execution interview questions assess a candidate's ability to think critically about a company's business and develop creative solutions to problems. To effectively answer these types of questions, it is essential to have a strong understanding of the company's strategy and how it is executed.
Candidates should be prepared to discuss the company's competitive advantages, market position, and plans for future growth. Additionally, candidates should be able to articulate how their skills and experience can contribute to the company's success. By asking Strategy-Execution interview questions, employers can gain insights into a candidate's thought process and ability to solve complex business problems.
For your next interview, work with Cole to anticipate, prepare, and nail every strategy question that comes your way to win the job offer
5 Step Answer Guide and Examples