Are You Smart?

Interesting question, and one, according to Kevin O’Connor, chief executive of FindTheBest.com, and former C.E.O. of DoubleClick, should be asked during interviews. In an interview printed in the Corner Office Section of this weekend’s NY Times, Mr O’Connor talked about asking questions that will throw people off balance and make them uncomfortable. To him, how people handle those tough questions gives him an indication of what he calls ‘raw intelligence.’ As we wrote in our post on Asking Tough Interview Questions, another way to dig beneath the surface of self- promotion is to ask about a Worst Job and seeing how comfortable people are in admitting difficult situations.

Other qualities he looks for? People who have experience in competitive situation. To him, it’s important to build his team with people who will stay the course, and not jump at the first sign of rocky waters.

Ask a million business owners what they think is important on a team and you’ll get a million answers. But most importantly, have you figured out what’s important to your team?