00:00Hi, I'm here for the interview.
00:02Yes, right. Have a seat.
00:08Oh, perfect. Are you here to clean the office?
00:10Uh, no, no. I'm here for the 9 o'clock interview.
00:14Right, um, right.
00:16You know, I'll be with you shortly. Just give me a second.
00:22Hi, I'm here for the interview.
00:24Yes, how's he? Right there.
00:32Oh, great. Hi.
00:33I can take you through now if you're ready.
00:36I'm sorry, I think there might be a mix-up.
00:38I have the 9 o'clock. I ride first.
00:41You know, I like to get established one candidate while everything's fresh,
00:44so I'll be right with you after, alright?
00:46My appointment was before hers.
00:48Right, okay. It won't be long, alright? It's just how I run the process.
00:50Come on.
00:56Hello, I said come on.
00:59Are you okay?
01:00I'm fine.
01:01I saw what happened. I'm sorry.
01:02You don't have to apologize. You didn't do it.
01:04I know. I still am.
01:06This isn't the first time.
01:08I've had interviews where I was the most prepared person in the room
01:11and still had to justify being there.
01:14Callbacks that went quiet.
01:15Rooms where the entire energy changed the moment I walked in.
01:19I came in today prepared. Same as always.
01:22Because what else do you do?
01:25Keep going.
01:25You keep going.
01:28Even when you're tired of having to be twice as good and to be considered half as much.
01:33It shouldn't be this way.
01:35No. It shouldn't.
01:37I want to do something about what I just saw.
01:39I don't know exactly what yet, but I mean it.
01:42I believe you mean it.
01:44That's a careful way of putting it.
01:46I've learned to be careful.
01:51Great. So, walk me through what drew you to this role.
01:55Yeah. The scope.
01:56The position sits across multiple departments, requires someone who can see the connective tissue between them,
02:03and that's the kind of work that I'm interested in.
02:05Yeah. And your background? Operational roles primarily?
02:09Operational and strategic.
02:11I've led teams and sat in rooms where the larger decisions get made, and I'm comfortable at both levels.
02:19Can I ask you something?
02:21Of course.
02:22Why did you call me in before the other candidate?
02:25She arrived first, and her appointment was earlier.
02:28Uh, yeah. It's kind of just how I manage an interview flow.
02:31You know, I like to keep things moving, stay efficient, get the most out of each conversation while I'm in
02:36the right headspace.
02:37And that's the process for your interviews?
02:39Well, you know, it varies. Depends on the day, the candidates, how the morning's running.
02:45Well, it didn't look like process. It looked like a choice based on who was sitting in the waiting room.
02:50Well, I run a professional operation. My interview process is consistent and fair. I treat all the candidates the same.
02:56I don't think that's true.
02:58Well, if you're uncomfortable with the way I run my process, that is worth noting.
03:03I'm not uncomfortable. I'm telling you what I observed. I don't think I want to continue this interview.
03:08Thank you for your time.
03:10That's your choice. Your loss.
03:14Yeah, Diane, bring in the next candidate. Yes, unfortunately, that one.
03:25His explanation did not hold up. He dressed it as a process, and it wasn't.
03:30I know. I'm gonna go. There's no version of this interview I want anymore.
03:34I need you to go in.
03:36Why?
03:38I know that's not the satisfying answer, but I need you to trust and go.
03:43You'll understand afterward.
03:45That's a lot to ask of someone you just met 20 minutes ago.
03:48I know it is.
03:49This better be worth it.
03:52It will be.
03:59Stay close. Don't leave this area.
04:02Can I ask what's happening?
04:03Okay, not yet, but stay.
04:05Okay, I trust you.
04:11Take a seat. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
04:15Seven years in project management and operations. I've led cross-functional teams in startup and corporate environments, managed budgets up
04:24to 2 million, and built reporting systems that reduce delivery delays by 30% across consecutive quarters.
04:31Great. And what draws you to this role?
04:35This scope. This position works across departments and requires someone who can translate between teams that don't always speak the
04:41same language.
04:42That's a specific skill, and one I've spent years developing.
04:46Okay, and how do you see yourself fitting into an environment like this one in terms of culture, team dynamics?
04:55I adapt quickly and invest in team relationships early.
04:58The best way to integrate is to listen more than you talk in the first few weeks, understand what people
05:03need versus what's written in the brief, and build trust through consistency.
05:08Right, right, right, right. And your background, it's primarily generalist roles?
05:14I'd call it cross-functional leadership, which is what the role description acts for.
05:21Uh-huh, uh-huh. How do you handle pressure? Fast-moving environments, high stakes.
05:25I've managed product launches under two weeks' notice and restructured a delivery pipeline mid-project when a primary vendor fell
05:33through.
05:34I handle pressure by bringing it into what I can control and staying transparent with my team about what I
05:40can't.
05:40And in terms of fit within the team here, are we, um...
05:46You've asked about fit twice. I've answered it twice. Can you tell me more about what you mean by that
05:54specifically?
05:54What do you know about this company?
05:57I've reviewed your annual report, your last two quarters of public filings, and three case studies your operation team has
06:05published.
06:05Good. And what would you say are the specific responsibilities in this role?
06:10That's something I'd like to ask you. What does success look like in the first 90 days?
06:15Well, we're still defining some of that internally. You know, it's evolving position.
06:20What about team structure? Who would this role report to directly?
06:25Well, those details are discussed at a later stage.
06:29Thank you for your time.
06:32We'll be in touch.
06:35Why did you make me go through that?
06:37I'm sorry. Is there a problem?
06:38I have been recording this since I arrived this morning. The waiting area, my own interview, and through the open
06:43-door policy you keep in place.
06:45Enough of Liv's interview to confirm what I already knew after mine.
06:49I... I don't...
06:50I'd like you to take a listen.
06:51No, I'm sorry. You're taking things out of context. The way I run my interviews is...
06:56I am the CEO of this company. Your employment is terminated effective today. Collect your personal items. HR will follow
07:03with the formal process.
07:04I've been running this department for three years. My numbers...
07:07Your numbers are fine. Your conduct is not. The two things are not trade. I'm sorry I asked you to
07:14go through that interview. I needed the record to be complete. And that's not an excuse. It's an explanation. And
07:20it's not the same thing.
07:21You're gonna regret this.
07:26You could have just told me who you were.
07:28Well, if I had, you would have changed your behavior. And I needed it to be real.
07:32It was real. It was always real. For me, it doesn't stop being real when the recording ends.
07:37I know. And I'm not gonna tell you what happened this morning was worth it. But what I can tell
07:43you is what I'd like to do about it.
07:47The position is yours if you want it. That's the real question, not a formality. Your qualifications don't just meet
07:54the benchmark. They exceed it. You should have walked through there first this morning.
07:59What would the role actually look like?
08:02Cross-functional operations lead. You'll report directly to the VP strategy who reports to me. And have a real mandate
08:10to build systems you described in that room.
08:12Yes, I want the job. Good. I'm going to review the full hiring process from intake forward and I'd like
08:19your perspective on it once you're settled.
08:21The people who've experienced these broken systems firsthand are the ones who should help fix it.
08:29I'm willing.
08:32I watched you get up from your desk when you didn't have to. Sit with her when it would have
08:37been easier to stay out of it.
08:39Stay, when I asked, without being given a reason. That is the kind of integrity that I'm looking for. And
08:47it isn't common.
08:49Effective at the end of the month, your role is being elevated. I'll have the specifics sent to you directly.
08:55I just... I didn't feel right to ignore it.
08:59And that's exactly the point. I'll be in touch with both of you by the end of the week.
09:09Thank you for sitting with me. It mattered.
09:12I should have said something sooner when it first happened.
09:14You said something when you came and sat down. That was enough.
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