5 Intelligent Questions Executives Can Ask to Learn About Culture

When working with executives, I am often asked how to learn more about a company's culture. Sure, it is more than just asking a prospective employer - or CEO - how would you describe your culture? That rarely gives you the real information you want - and need.

Mostly, my clients ask me this because they want to avoid the situation they just left. Amazon Web Services, Tesla and Verizon have notoriously cutthroat cultures. People check Glassdoor but remember - that is only a select few employees posting (and generally not executives). And, many people believe they asked the right questions during the interview and were completely blindsided.

And that definitely happens.

Of course, the best thing you can do is ask someone you know who works there. But, in case you don't know anyone, there are ways to probe during the interview to find out more about the culture and how people really interact with each other.

When interviewing for a C-level role, there are several key cultural factors that are important:
1. How does the team interact and communicate?
2. Is the culture collaborative, family-oriented, competitive or downright cutthroat? Are people only in it for themselves?
3. How will he/she fit into the new culture?

To get to the root of these issues, here are 5 questions I recommend asking:

1. Is there something you look for in your executive team to ensure we are all aligned and will drive the best performance from each other?

In other words, what are the values and characteristics desired in the senior leadership team. CEO's work to articulate these values but they must be embedded, believed and modeled by the executive team. If it is empowerment and integrity, you can even ask for an example of how this plays out internally or with clients.

2. How much time do you find that you spend on people development and nurturing talent?

You want to find out how important people development really is to your new boss. By hiring the right talent and laying out a development plan for them, leaders are able to reinforce the organization's culture top down. By investing time here, leaders can shape how the company is managed at multiple levels. This increases their chances of success dramatically.

3. Can you describe how the organization's systems are aligned to support each other?

In other words, how do operations, marketing, HR, finance, and legal integrate with the organization’s culture and values? You can learn a lot just be paying attention the policies. How are people recognized and rewarded? Do you get a slap on the back and a trophy for 25 years of loyalty or are you treated to a world-class experience and public recognition?

4. How do you want your executive team to hold each other accountable?

I love this one. It can really uncover how the executives interact, work together, respect (or not) each other and promote (or not) each other. Do execs work together face-to-face, do they partner together on projects or is everyone operating in their own silos? Is this a team-based culture or not?

5. How do you - CEO - want me to empower you?

Finally, bring it all home. How can you, as a C-suite executive, make the CEO successful? You are trying to figure out what the CEO needs and wants from you.What can you do within your potential organization that you will be overseeing to make your CEO's job easier and him/her more successful?

Finding out about culture is critical. Just asking a few questions will open pandora's box and help you avoid a landmine.

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