A good friend of mine recently applied for his company's general counsel position. The position had recently been vacated and was up for grabs. He had been there for several years and saw this as his chance to finally step up to the big time. So he applied.
As he expected, he was quickly given an interview. He sat down with the CEO one Friday afternoon, ready to demonstrate his ability to take on the challenge of senior management.
The usual pleasantries were exchanged and then the first question.
'Arthur, if you could sum up yourself in five words, what would you say?' asked the CEO. The second question: 'What are your major weaknesses?' Then: 'Where do you see yourself in five years?'
Arthur by this point had become suspicious. These are the kind of questions one prepares for when leaving university, but not when making the step to a seat on the board of directors.
'Did you tell the CEO that these questions were inappropriate, that he ought to focus on the actual skills required to perform the job?' I asked Arthur over a beer later.