CEO Interview

Paper 1-Leadership Interview Format/Suggested Questions
Each student is required to interview a high-level non-profitexecutive with extensive management responsibilities [Executive Director of a small or medium sized non-profitagency or a high-level manager in a government agency such as the Secretary of Health & Human Services or a (deputydirector) in human services (clear all interviews withinstructor ahead of time.)] Select an individual who is working in an organization in which you have interest or would like to work, hopefully creating a networkingopportunity for you upon graduation. You
do not have to know this individual or know someone who knows him or her. My experience has been that most human services executives are willing to meet with students to sharetheir experiences. Your challenge is getting on their schedules in time to complete the assignment because they are very busy. Request one hour and be prepared for that hour to be interrupted or cut short. Visit the agency’s website to prepare for your interview. Also, call and request a copy of the agency’s annual report if one is published before the interview.
The following are guidelines and suggested questions and instructions for writing up the interview. Begin your interview by explaining the purpose of the class assignment, e.g., to gain knowledge of the challenges for managingsuccessfully within human services agencies and organizations. Explain that you are a graduate student in the MSW Program at Delaware State University and that the interview is an opportunity to learn more about administration, management and supervision functions.
The following questions are suggestions and cover broad topics I would like you to discuss with your ED/CEO. I wantyou to be prepared and professional when posing yourquestions because this contact is an important opportunity to meet individuals who may be of assistance later in your career.Be sure to incorporate as many the competencies, practicebehaviors and underpinnings that are addressed in this coursein your interviews.
1. Career Paths: In what fields are their undergraduate andgraduate degrees, if any? How did they prepare for theircurrent positions? Describe the very first job in this field. What other jobs have they held on the way to theircurrent positions?
2.Management Challenges: What are their current responsibilities? What management models do they useand why? What are the top two or three management challenges of their current positions? If interviewee is from a diverse population (woman, ethnic minority, disabled, gay/lesbian, immigrant, etc., what specific challenges does she or he face? How would the manager describe his/her strengths? What are the most difficult functions or tasks and why? How does manager empower him/herself to lead the agency? What is the mostrewarding function or task? What do they like most about their positions? What do they like least? How do theyhandle resource limitations? What surprised them the most in their management positions? How does manager represent agency’s mission to the community? How is theglobal perspective represented in the agency? To what extent do manager & staff actively participate in professional conferences, meetings, trainings andseminar? [Try to incorporate follow-up questions that address as many of the key functions outlined in Weinbach and Grobman such as: Planning (see the section on planning on pages 75-95 in Weinbach and outlined in the planning menu in figure 4.1); Budgeting and Financial Management; Fundraising and Grant Writing; PolicyFormation and Advocacy, Staff Development and Evaluation; Accountability; Technology Management. This is a good place to address perspectives such as valuesand ethics.
2. Governance: What are the challenges to working with Boards of Directors? What are successful ways to cultivateeffective relationships with the Board and its members?How do they use their Boards to obtain resources, influence policies and advocate for policy and servicechanges? Does the Board formulate policies andprocedures? How diverse is the Board? To what extent does the Board composition reflect the community and clients that the agency serves?
3. External Relationships: Are there individuals external to theirorganizations to which they must be accountable? Howwould they describe these relationships? What is their agency’s/organization’s relationship with the community?What is manager’s relationship with the media and with legislators? Is it difficult balancing the demands or needs of external actors with employee needs? Does the organization publish an annual report? If so, request a copy.
4. Strategic Management: Does the agency/organization have astrategic plan? [Request a copy]. How was the plandeveloped and who were involved in developing it? Does the agency/organization use performanceoutcomes? How has the use of performance outcomes changed the way the organization evaluates the success of its programs and mission accomplishment? Are thereany challenges to balancing the work of full-time employees and volunteers/interns?
5. Organizational Change: Has the organization been involved in efforts to substantially change the way it achieves its goals and missions? If yes, what philosophies guided the change? How did it affect the organization employees? If no, are there plans to do so? How will the change beplanned and implemented?
7.Leadership/Managerial Styles: How would they describetheir management/leadership
styles? How do they deal with power and influence? What motivational theories do they use? (Be prepared to suggest one or two theories for them to consider). How do theydeal with employees who are not performing their jobs? What are some of the ethical dilemmas faced by theCEO/ED, agency, Board? How do they ensureprofessional behavior? How do they encourage life-longlearning? How do they provide supervision and encourageconsultation (PB 6)? How do they identify the strengths in their employees? In what ways are employees empowered to carry out their responsibilities?
8.Advice: What advice would they give to individuals who want to be managers in human serviceorganizations? Can they identify current and futuremanagement concerns for human service managers?

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