One of the absolutely fabulous readers here at HR Bartender sent me this question. It was a question asked of her during a job interview and she wanted to know how I would have answered it.
Jan and John are working together on a project. HR is planning to suspend Jan. Do you tell John that Jan is going to be suspended knowing that they have a project that they are working on? I then was asked the same question but a bit differently. What if you were investigating the matter and you were not sure if Jan will be suspended? Do you tell John?
This is one of those situations where I end up having more questions than answers.
For example, what roles do Jan and John have in the organization? The positions they hold could answer the question. Let’s say Jan is a director and John is a manager – the answer is probably no, you wouldn’t tell John. On the other hand, if John is a vice president and Jan is a director…then maybe you do.
Who’s running the committee? If Jan is chairing the committee and her suspension means John will be chairing it, then John would probably appreciate the heads up. Or if John is already chairing the committee and about to lose a key player…he again might appreciate the notice. But if John’s not in charge nor will he be…then it might be considered inappropriate to let him know.
What’s the nature of the project? If this committee is selecting the paint colors for the employee cafeteria, then Jan’s departure is probably not mission-critical. But if they’re working on a multi-million dollar proposal that will deliver the company their first profit in the past two years, then telling John would be considered a “need to know” matter.
When’s the project due? Losing a team member at the start or end of a project might not have the same impact as a departure during the middle of a project.
Depending upon the players involved and the scope of the project, there could be even more dynamics involved that I haven’t mentioned. If I were an interviewer asking this question, I’d be looking less for a right or wrong answer and more of a “this is how I would logically reason my way to an answer.”
This is exactly why being a manager and leader is so tough. Every once in awhile, we get a clear cut question that has only one right answer. Most of the time we operate, and do our best to thrive, in the gray zone.
Image courtesy of Marco Bellucci
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Libby Sartain says
The biggest issue with this situation is the lame interview question. Hypothetical questions are never the best way to find out how a prospective employee will behave on the job.
Perhaps this interview should have asked something like this: “Tell me about a difficult situation you experienced as a leader involving a project team. How did you handle it.” Or, “Have you ever had to suspend and employee to conduct an investigation? How did you handle it with the rest of the team.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comment Libby. I agree the question is not the greatest. We can only assume the interviewer was trying to find out about the candidate’s logic/reasoning ability or their ability to deal with investigations and confidential info. And as you’ve pointed out, there are probably better ways to do that.
Harris Silverman - Business Coach says
There’s a bit of a tendency, at least in middle management, to learn as much as possible about the “right way” to deal with everything. Situations are pre-canned and broken down into six simple steps, which are then applied dogmatically, with scant regard for the particular circumstances, personalities, and situational details involved. Too many managers are on auto-pilot, reading articles and internet advice, and applying generic solutions to complex problems they never take the trouble to fully understand.
Amanda says
I’m going to remember this because you never know what employers have stuck up their sleeves for an interview.
Ginger says
Oooor – was the interviewer hoping that she would ask all those questions and not just jump in with an answer? Trick question?
Pat says
That is definitely an interesting question to pose during an interview. I could definitely see the amount of questions you ask to get a better understanding of the situation so you can assess it in the best way, as something they’re looking for, apart from the answer itself.
Sharlyn Lauby says
@Harris – Thanks for the comment. Totally agree. If being a manager and leader were only that simple, but it’s not.
@Amanda – Hopefully not everyone has a trick up their sleeve during the interview! Thanks for commenting.
@Ginger – It’s possible the interviewer was looking for a “It depends.” answer…great point!
@Pat – Thanks for adding to the conversation Pat. I agree the thought process could be more interesting than the answer.