Coburn Ventures Podcast #225: Lisa Baird on Unlocking Questions to Management
Apr 17, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Lisa Baird, an executive recruiter and coach with extensive experience in guiding management teams, shares her insights. She highlights the importance of asking unlocking questions to navigate leadership challenges. Lisa dives into recognizing personal biases when assessing CEO candidates and the significance of probing questions in discussions for effective decision-making. Additionally, she offers strategies for C-suite candidates to ask meaningful questions during interviews and discusses the essential role of feedback loops in fostering transparent communication within organizations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Check Your Biases First
- Before interviewing a CEO, explicitly inventory your biases and what you hope they are or aren't.
- Hold yourself accountable to avoid confirmation bias and seek disconfirming evidence about the candidate.
CEOs Are Impression Managers
- Many CEO candidates are skilled at shaping others' perceptions of them long before the interview starts.
- Expect deliberate impression management and plan techniques to see beneath the facade.
Ask What Keeps Them Up At Night
- Ask leaders what they and their top team worry about when the door is closed to provoke honest, non‑pat answers.
- Use that response as the starting point to drill into real risks and gaps in knowledge.