Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Felloledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode four point thirty one, and let's flip the
Speaker 2: script for this episode. Today we're talking about the reverse interview,
Speaker 2: a leadership move that takes guts, humility, and a whole
Speaker 2: lot of trust. Here's the concept. Instead of you doing
Speaker 2: all the asking, directing, and leading, what if just once
Speaker 2: you handed the mic to your employees and said you
Speaker 2: interview me. Sounds crazy, maybe sounds risky, absolutely, but done right,
Speaker 2: it's one of the most powerful ways to build real trust. Speak,
Speaker 2: open dialogue, and show your team that leadership isn't about
Speaker 2: hiding behind a title. It's about showing up with honesty, transparency,
Speaker 2: and accountability. So let me break this down. Why do
Speaker 2: we want to flip the script? As leaders? We often
Speaker 2: hold the spotlight. We run the meetings, we ask the questions,
Speaker 2: we set the tone. But what happens when the spotlight
Speaker 2: turns around? You open the door for truth, connection, and
Speaker 2: clarity Because your team already has questions. They wonder what
Speaker 2: you really stand for, why you made that decision, what
Speaker 2: your expectations are, what your non negotiables look like. They
Speaker 2: wonder if you're even aware of the problems they're quietly
Speaker 2: dealing with every day. The reverse interview doesn't just give
Speaker 2: them permission to ask, It invites them to do it boldly,
Speaker 2: and that changes everything. And here's what this looks like
Speaker 2: in practice. You gather your team in a room or
Speaker 2: maybe it's a one on one, and you say, today
Speaker 2: I'm flipping the script. I want you to interview me,
Speaker 2: no limits, no filters, ask me anything you've always wanted
Speaker 2: to know about my leadership, my decisions, my expectations, or
Speaker 2: what I'm currently working on. And then this is the
Speaker 2: hard part. You have to shut up and listen, let
Speaker 2: the silence hang, let the awkwardness bubble up, and then
Speaker 2: watch the magic happen. Someone will ask something simple like
Speaker 2: what keeps you up at night about this company? Or
Speaker 2: what's the biggest mistake you've made as a leader. Then
Speaker 2: someone else will follow with a deeper one. Do you
Speaker 2: think you've built trust with this team? Now we're in it.
Speaker 2: That's the real work. You don't have to script the
Speaker 2: reverse interview. But here's a few questions that you hope
Speaker 2: they ask, so be ready to answer them, because these
Speaker 2: are the ones that build trust and challenge you to grow.
Speaker 2: Why did you become a leader, what's the biggest leadership
Speaker 2: mistake you've made? What's something about this job that scares you?
Speaker 2: What do you expect from us really? What's one thing
Speaker 2: you're actively trying to improve about yourself right now? And
Speaker 2: have you ever been disappointed in our team? And if
Speaker 2: so why? These are not lightweight questions. These are mirror moments,
Speaker 2: and your answers tell your team exactly who you are.
Speaker 2: Here's the return on this type of a bold move trust.
Speaker 2: When your team hears you own your flaws and speak honestly,
Speaker 2: they trust you more, not less. Clarity this process removes
Speaker 2: the fog. It reveals what you're thinking and what you
Speaker 2: actually expect. No guessing games and accountability. When you say
Speaker 2: things out loud, like what you're working on or what
Speaker 2: mistakes you've made, you create public accountability for your own growth.
Speaker 2: It also sends this loud, clear message, I'm not hiding
Speaker 2: behind my title. I'm right here in this with you.
Speaker 2: So just to be clear, The reverse interview is not
Speaker 2: a free for all. Here's some simple guardrails. Create a
Speaker 2: safe space. Tell them no question is off limits, but
Speaker 2: it must come from a place of growth, not gossip.
Speaker 2: If it's a group, have someone moderate, don't interrupt or defend,
Speaker 2: just listen and take notes, and after the interview thank them.
Speaker 2: Follow up on key points. If you don't have an
Speaker 2: answer in the moment, promise to get one and then
Speaker 2: actually do it. And most importantly, don't retaliate. If someone
Speaker 2: hits you with a hard truth, accept it as a gift,
Speaker 2: not a threat. So the strongest leaders aren't the ones
Speaker 2: with all the answers. They're the ones who are brave
Speaker 2: enough to be asked the hard questions. So I challenge
Speaker 2: you schedule your first reverse interview. You might be surprised
Speaker 2: what you learn, not just about your team, but also
Speaker 2: about yourself, because leadership isn't just about leading forward. Sometimes
Speaker 2: it's about leaning back and letting others speak in to you.
Speaker 2: This has been the seven minute Leadership podcast, and I
Speaker 2: thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more, Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.