I’ve thought about some ideas on how we can learn quickly who is sitting in front of us. Yes, I’ve being doing lots of interviews to candidates and it seems to me that the normal technical questions tell nothing. I’m more and more interesting in a try to understand the person and see if there is a real win-win situation.

Over the years, I’ve learn that these 4 questions will give you a good idea about the developer/product manager/designer you wish to hire:

1. What are you excel at?
A nice way to touch on the strengths. What you references will tell me about you?
Btw, ask for a few references and call them. You will be surprise how much you can learn from them.

2. What is your one weakness you wish to improve?
Well – everyone got something that they can improve. It’s interesting to hear the ‘music’ of the answer and less the content. If they say something positive in a custom of negative (e.g. “I’m stubborn and won’t let a problem break me”), you know you have a problem.

3. Where do you wish to see yourself in the next job?
This will help you understand what they wish to do later in life. I used to ask this question with a time aspect (e.g. in 3-4 years) but it’s better to keep it with out time limit as no one knows how long they will move on.

4. What is the one thing that you know to be true that many others think to be false?
I ‘borrowed’ this one. It’s really good.

As for more general questions that I find useful to ‘tell’ you more about the person:

• What book is your favorite one?
• What activity you like most?
• Name you best: movie, song, band, vacation place.

Last but not least, there is the famous list of Bernard Pivot. It’s great not only on celebrities but on your friend at parties as well, specially, if they had few drinks before. Drinks are useful to help them drop the masks.

1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on?
4. What turns you off?
5. What sound or noise do you love?
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
7. What is your favorite curse word?
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you not like to do?
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

From his first talk (that I’ve watched) at TED, it was clear he is one of the great thinkers today that devote his mind to education and how we could/should fix it.

This video is another profe to his deep and strong ideas, plus you can enjoy the animation on the way.

I’ve read “The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing” and it’s good reading (specailly, if you have 3h flight).

It outlines how the internet is driving radical new business models for companies with products. In essence, the latest location-based and smart phone apps allow us to access (expensive) products without having to own them. Think about the fact that, on average, you only drive your car one hour per day. What about those expensive tools you have sitting in your garage or handbags sitting in the closet. Written by serial entrepreneur Lisa Gansky, she co-founded Ofoto (sold to Kodak) and GNN (sold to AOL), Gansky is the first to name this important new trend in business. She points out that Huizenga used the same principle of purchasing a product and then renting it multiple times.

Want some more examples? here are just few:

• Netflix – let you rent a library of DVDs that will cost you few millions to own.
• Hilton/Hyyat and other hotels. They all let you do ‘time share’ and in their most basic business – they kind of ‘renting’ their properties piece by piece.
• ZipCar – let you share cars and use them only when you DO need it. Very cool start up that I am hoping to see in more and more places.
• Crushpad – wine-making services. I guess there are lots of avid wine fans that want to create their owe ‘grape juice’.
• North Portland Tool Library – Why pay for a great tool and use it only twice (on a good case)? rent them…

I’m sure there are other examples for these type of business that can run today, significantly better, due to the usage of the internet and mobile apps.

The fact that people are aware to quality and wants it make these business even more interesting because they give the crowds an option to use and enjoy something that is not in their reach in any other way. We will see in the future lots of models like this… Specially, in places like India, Brazil and China.

Taking the right turns in your project

Some good points from the last 3 years:

• Describe the project in:
  A. The shortest way you can.
  B. The clearer way you are able.
• Assign accountabilities – this is critical for the success so put time and effort behind this task. Ask yourself if the people you are putting accountable could deliver what you wish them in the quality/time you want it to be.
• Document your fears – this list is something you want to check from time to time during the sprints (or short mile stones you put yourself).
• Find shortcuts/edges – the only way to move like a ‘speed boat’ is to find these little ‘shortcuts’ that give you good tail wind.
• Describe where you want to be in an ideal world when the project ends.  Then you should:
  A. Quantify `good enough’ – and make it clear when to ship it in that stage (you can/should always improve it in the next versions).
  B. Make it less – in lots of cases less is more and you want to remove stuff! It’s hard – but it will make your project better.
• Thrash early – IF it seems you are moving (fast) in the wrong direction. This one is easy to say and very hard to do… so be AWARE.
• Put ‘fire’ in all the people that contributing to the project. This wind tail will make the difference in the end of hard coding night.
• Try to have fun along the way. It’s very important to enjoy the ride (if you can).