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Oceanic Leadership Lab · Step 2 · Interview guide

What drives your teammate?

Select up to 10 questions; adapt the pace to your discussion.

Choose up to 10 questions: 1opener1low point4probes2trade-offs2final checks Keep other questions in reserve.
  1. Ask for stories, not opinions.
  2. Do not name a motivator in your questions: name it only at the final check.
  3. After an answer, ask a deeper follow-up question: “What made that matter to you?”

AOpeners: where the energy ispick 1

  1. Tell me about a day at work in the last year that you went home energised. What happened?
  2. When do you lose track of time at work?
  3. What part of your job would you keep doing even if nobody asked you to?
  4. What made you say yes to your current role?
  5. If you were promoted tomorrow, what would you gain and what would you fear losing?
  6. If your manager changed tomorrow, what would you most want the new one to understand about you?
  7. If I had to describe to someone else what gets you out of bed, what should I say?

BLow points: what drains itpick 1

  1. Tell me about a time you felt like doing the minimum. What had changed?
  2. What kind of meeting or task empties you fastest, and why?
  3. What is the last thing at work that really irritated you?
  4. Have you ever left a job, a team or a project? What was the last straw?
  5. What would a manager have to do to lose you within six months?
  6. When did you last feel that your effort was wasted?

CTrade-offs: forcing a rankingpick 2

  1. C1A bigger title in a team you do not enjoy, or the same title in a team you love?
  2. C2A role where you know what each week holds, or one where you are regularly out of your depth?
  3. C3Full autonomy on a minor project, or a small part in the project everyone watches?
  4. C4Clear rules that sometimes slow you down, or no rules and constant negotiation?
  5. C5A job that fits your values and bores you, or a fascinating one that sometimes bends them?
  6. C6Being the expert people consult, or the person who decides?
  7. C7After a tense meeting, which matters more: that your idea won, or that nobody is upset with you?
  8. C8A cause you believe in where your skills are underused, or a role that stretches you for a purpose you do not care about?
  9. C9Say what you think and be the odd one out, or keep the peace and stay quiet?
  10. C10If you could keep only two things about your current job, what would they be?

DCheck and closeask both

  1. Based on our conversation, here are what I think your five main motivators are, in this order. What do you think of my selection and ranking?
  2. Is there one I missed because I did not ask the right question?
Oceanic Leadership Lab · Interview question sheet1 / 3
Oceanic Leadership Lab · Step 2 · Interview guide

Explore the motivators

the motivator each one explores appears on page 3. Tick the four you will ask.

EProbespick 4

  1. E1Tell me about a time you held back an opinion or an idea at work. What were you weighing up?
  2. E2Tell me about a time you changed the way you behave to fit into a new team. What did you change, and how did it feel?
  3. E3What are you intrigued by at the moment that has nothing to do with your objectives? How did you fall into it?
  4. E4What happens to you in a job where everything is already known?
  5. E5How do you react when someone tells you how to do your work, not only what to achieve?
  6. E6When have you had the most freedom to organise your work your own way? How did it feel, and what did you do with that freedom?
  7. E7How important is it to you to be seen as someone who matters at work and to receive signs of consideration? Can you give an example?
  8. E8Which role or title you have held are you most attached to, and why that one?
  9. E9When did you last feel that what you were doing served something that really matters to you?
  10. E10What do you want your work to have changed in five years?
  11. E11Tell me about a time you kept a commitment even though it had become costly or inconvenient. Why did you not let it go?
  12. E12Tell me about a time you felt pressured to act against your principles. What did you do?
  13. E13Tell me about a time you were given a task with almost no instructions. Was that comfortable or uncomfortable, and what did you do first?
  14. E14What do you need to be clear before you can start working well?
  15. E15Tell me about the last time you chose the harder assignment when an easier one was available.
  16. E16Tell me about a task that was just beyond what you could do. How did it feel?
  17. E17Tell me about a decision that was not yours to take and that you still managed to shape. How?
  18. E18When a decision is going the wrong way and it is not yours, what do you do?
  19. E19Tell me about a period when you worked in an especially warm team where colleagues helped and supported each other. What difference did it make to you?
  20. E20How would working fully alone for a month affect you?
Notes
Oceanic Leadership Lab · Interview question sheet2 / 3
Oceanic Leadership Lab · Step 2 · Interview guideInterviewer only

Listen, interpret, rank

Listening guide, trade-off key and the final five.

Listening guide

Use this guide to identify possible motivators from the stories; confirm the final five together. The guide is on page 3.

MotivatorDefinitionProbesListen forMarks
AcceptancePeople around me approve of who I am and what I doE1, E2"be myself", "they back me", discomfort with being judged
CuriosityI have plenty of things to explore and think aboutE3, E4"I wondered", "I dug into it", boredom with routine
FreedomI can work independently and take responsibilityE5, E6"leave me alone", "my way", irritation at approvals
StatusMy position and contribution are recognisedE7, E8titles, visibility, being consulted, who was in the room
GoalMy work reflects a meaningful purposeE9, E10"it serves", "what for", links between work and life purpose
HonorMy work is consistent with my valuesE11, E12"it was not right", loyalty, integrity, pride in how things are done
OrderThere are clear rules and a stable environmentE13, E14"I need to know", plans, rules, discomfort with improvisation
MasteryMy work challenges and develops my abilitiesE15, E16"getting better", craft, challenge, frustration with easy work
PowerI can influence what happens around meE17, E18"I pushed for", "I got them to", wanting a seat at the table
RelatednessI have good relationships with people at workE19, E20names of people, lunches, "we", missing colleagues

Trade-off interpretation key — interviewer only

Keep this page hidden from your teammate. Read only the trade-off questions, without naming the motivators.

  1. C1Status vs Relatedness
  2. C2Order vs Mastery
  3. C3Freedom vs Status
  4. C4Order vs Freedom
  5. C5Honor vs Curiosity
  6. C6Mastery vs Power
  7. C7Power vs Acceptance
  8. C8Goal vs Mastery
  9. C9Honor vs Acceptance
  10. C10Two highest-priority motivators

The five validated motivators, ranked

1
2
3
4
5

Read the five back and validate the ranking together. It will remain fixed in the lab.