Interview Questions asked of Bob Jordan, PE
What are your career objectives?
To use the engineering, academic, business and leadership skills I’ve worked 25 years to gain to lead an engineering organization and further the business of the business by being on the executive staff of a winning organization. I have a clear equity interest and would do I could to earn it. I’m comfortable being a key player in the midst of highly talented achievers. Significance is important to me. A strong team is important to me. Vision is important to me. Winning is important to me. Being in on planning and decisions is important to me.
What would you bring to our company that we don’t already have?
Not knowing what you already have would make this a hard question to answer. What I do as an engineering manager is develop staff, develop new products, and seek to participate in intellectual property and strategic planning activities. I also have a strong materials science background and years of experience with miniature, precision electronics.
What role do you see yourself in at our company?
I see dual roles, technical and business: In the technical side I’d lead the engineering department, handling priorities, personnel, resource management, staff development, intellectual property, budgets, and the like. I’d also be the New Product Introduction Program Manager where I’d lead and facilitate the cross-functional teams associated with new product development. On the business side as a member of the executive staff I’d participate in leading the organization, including strategic planning, financial analysis and review, and goal setting. I’d also be a counselor to the president in areas of leadership, management, administration, and personnel issues.
What would you do in the first 90 days?
Identify immediately what the executive team desired and carry that out. Familiarize myself with existing people, departments, organizational structure, products, customers, etc. Would evaluate current products in development and determine if my product development process was needed.
Sales comes to you and say, “we have to make a change to the design.” What would you do?
It depends. If numerous departments were involved in the design input specifications, then it would be unusual for any one department to have the authority to make a unilateral change. My recommendation to Sales would be to call the involved departments together and together we would all review the proposed changes
Then what?
We would, as a team, re-establish the input specification requirements, and then review the impact, if any, to the schedule and resource requirements.
What if Sales didn’t want to do that, what if they wanted to make a change unilaterally?
If engineering reported to Sales, and Sales was responsible for the results of making the changes then engineering would be obliged to make the changes.
If engineering did not report to Sales, then it would be my role to explain to Sales the impact to Schedule and Resources that their changes would create.
The reason it’s unusual for any one department to have unilateral change authority is that it results in low staff morale, high product development costs, missed deadlines, poor teamwork, and untold inefficiencies – all of which benefit the competition.
Are you opposed to any changes once the input specifications have been established?
Not at all. When new information becomes available the organization has to be flexible enough to deal with it. The eNPI Process has numerous features that drastically reduce the likelihood that a scope change will occur at a magnitude likely to cripple the project. So long as there’s a legitimate reason for the change, it’s no problem.
What are your greatest professional achievements?
HySecurity: (1) Leading the very successful creation and implementation of the Strategic Plan. (2) Mobilizing the entire company toward the importance of Quality (including founding the Quality Management System and Quality Manual project).
HydraMaster: Co-developing and successfully implementing a web-based new product introduction process that can and has been used by young engineers to go from idea to production release in as short of time as possible.
Honeywell: Inventing the laser and chemical processing methods that allowed for successful strategic accelerometer fabrication that was delivered to the US Army. Second is designing a hybrid-MEMS package of which 1000s produced.
MicroSurgical Technology: Building a dept from scratch that passed FDA, ISO-9001, and CE Mark audits on the 1st try.
Henry Cogswell College: Writing and teaching an EIT course where my students had a passing rate of 95% (natl. -75%)
Which professional achievement means the most to you?
Co-developing and successfully implementing the eNPI Process. This methodology allows engineers to be successful in new product development. It allows the organization to realize profits and products faster. It provides the customer with exactly what they want. There is much positive leverage with the eNPI Process and it is my greatest accomplishment.
What are your greatest personal achievements?
Family: Happily married 28 years; eight well-behaved, motivated, happy children.
Finances: Totally debt free, home paid off, no loans of any kind, never been in financial trouble.
Faith: Member of same church for 13 years, recognized leader, teacher, and mentor of others.
What are your greatest volunteerism achievements?
Henry Cogswell College: Appointed director of strategic planning; presented results to board of directors.
Prisoners For Christ Ministry: Founding the University to train new volunteers. Now at 14 courses and 300 students bi-annually. Been in jail and prison ministry for 27 years.
What did you accomplish on your last job?
HySecurity: Created the corporate Strategic Plan. Completely organized the engineering department so it could run on it's own with minimum input from me. New products, innovation, production improvements, and tech support team all hitting on 8-cylinders.
HydraMaster: My young staff developed what is being claimed by our distributors as the most well-designed, best performing truck-mounted carpet cleaning machine ever. Sales already have taken over the third spot – of 11 truck-mount versions in active production - at HydraMaster and it was only released in March 2004. In 2005 it is forecasted to be the #2 seller and may well overtake #1. It’s a marvelous machine developed under the eNPI Process design for six sigma methodology.
Why did you go to and then leave Honeywell the first time?
I hired on at Honeywell at age 19. I stayed because they promoted from within and supported educational pursuits. I earned four degrees there and advanced to Sr. Project Engineer. My manager was the same age I was and I was tapped out as far as advancement was concerned.. I went to MST – a small company looking for an engineering manager.
Why did you go to and then leave MicroSurgical Technology?
MST offered me the role of engineering manger – a new opportunity to me. The company made a commitment to growth, gain ISO-9000 certification, and develop new products, all of which occurred while I was there. I left, by mutual agreement, along with the entire senior management team, over differences in philosophy with the president.
Why did you go to and then leave Honeywell the second time?
My former manager took a new role, and the department I left had been without a manager. The timing fit, and with four years of experience at MST I felt I could now manage the department, which I did for 2 years. A reorganization put me and one of my project managers in the same slot, also, 9-11 put a severe strain on the industry and I chose to leave by mutual agreement.
Why did you go to and then leave HydraMaster Corporation?
HydraMaster was in a new industry to me, one not affected by FAA or FDA regulations. I also had the opportunity to work very closely with Sales and our national distributor force, which was also new to me. We developed new products quickly and this was very satisfying. I could not be a part of the director team so by mutual decision I chose to leave.
Why did you go to and then leave HySecurity Gate, Inc.?
HySecurity offered me the first opportunity to be a VP, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Within two years two major epiphanies occurred: (1) for the first time in my life I became bored running a single department. Everyone was trained, motivated, capable, producing results, had excellent attitudes, and making progress. I had gotten to the point where I had done all I could do and I needed new challenges. (2) I saw how other parts of the organization were not being managed to their fullest potential, and I knew the people could reach that full potential. I lobbied to be the General Manager since I had extensive Operations experience, but that was rejected, and thus my career in this fine industry and organization came to a close.
Why would you ever fire someone?
They ever lied to me, for any reason, on any subject.
Where I wanted to go, they couldn’t get me there.
When a management decision is made that you don’t agree with, what do you do?
Two choices:
Seek to understand it and then embrace it and mobilize my staff to carry out the decision with enthusiasm, provided the decision is not illegal, immoral, unethical, or compromise engineering-based design (e.g. frozen O-rings on the space shuttle).
Resign.
Passive resistance, end runs, digging heels in – all these are not an option for me or my department.
What are your greatest management skills?
Mobilizing and motivating engineers (anyone) to get results – both personally and professionally. I now wish to do this within an entire organization - not just in the engineering directorate.
Understanding engineers and business leaders very well – and translating between the two.
Leadership, program management, and systems implementation – especially new product development but also quality systems and operational excellence (lean, metrics, etc.)
I possess a high bias for action – a clear self-starter who moves quickly and with passion.
Working well with persons at all levels and differing departments.
What are your greatest technical strengths?
Solid understanding of engineering fundamentals over all disciplines. Also solid in finance, operations, sales and marketing.
Broad network of operations and engineering contacts and lab and test facilities.
Clear knowledge and demonstrable results in statistical analyses: six sigma, DOE, and SPC.
Expert in laser welding, chemical processing, mechanical engineering, and numerous materials science processes.
Hands-on, capable in all laboratory functions – can do my own failure analysis.
What are you doing currently for intellectual growth?
I read a lot, sometimes multiple books at the same time. i recently read a book about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and am reading on on Abraham Lincoln. I recently read a book on fundraising.
How would you lead a department?
Clearly communicate priorities. Explain executive management decisions. Teach new product development. Promote team play in an environment of encouragement and affirmation. Use weekly staff meetings and mid-week “huddles.” To lead an entire organization, I would grow and develop managers and in turn would expect them, with my coaching, to do the same for their staffs.
What is your leadership style?
Empowering, motivating, and vision casting are the three things I do best in areas of leadership.
What are your greatest strengths?
1) My drive and determination, coupled with honor and integrity.
2) My ability to multiplex, to do many things simultaneously.
3) My ability to see the big picture and communicate it clearly.
What are your weaknesses?
I'm very optimistic and see the potential in everyone. This can work against me and allow me to let unacceptable behavior go unnoticed longer than it should. I mitigate this by having an open environment with my staff and the sr. leadership so that any blind spots I have are covered.
I began in operations/manufacturing and am used to thinking in terms of production. As new product development manager I have to not let that suppress creativity.
I have never supervised or managed supervisors or managers. I believe I could and do it well, but have not had that opportunity yet.
When I see wasted human potential I seek to correct it - fast. This irritates other managers who are content to let things ride for a few months. I'm vocal to executives in closed door meetings about making progress and being accountable, and less-than-A players don't like that.
What do you do to develop your leadership ability?
Read a lot of books, listen to a lot of tapes, and attend leadership-focused seminars as opportunity arrises.
How do you develop people?
Direct mentoring - In areas where I have technical, administrative, leadership, or project management experience, I communicate that to my team and empower them to use what I've taught.
Providing resources - this includes books, tapes, videos, articles, training seminars in areas where they can personally develop.
Providing exposure to events - as applicable I send people to trade shows, customers, and encourage them to sit in on management program reviews so they get exposure to how the business leaders of the organization think.
1. What have you been criticized for during the last four years?
Going too fast – not bringing others along at a proper pace when new systems are implemented.
Being too evangelical, even overzealous.
2. Did you agree or disagree and why?
Because I’ve been criticized for it more than once I’d have to acknowledge some ownership. As long as I’m working with and through others I need to be sensitive to what works and what doesn’t.
3. Where would you like to be in 3-5 years?
General Manager.
(Part II) And how do you expect to get there?
By reading books, attending seminars, listening better, and putting myself in a position to use those skills. In 2004 I joined a non-profit Board of Directors and got on the finance subcommittee. I’m the director of strategic planning at a college I teach at and will be assisting on the financial plan. In December 2004 I attended a two-day finance seminar in Seattle. I have a goal to read six purely business books in 2005 and transcribe a summary and post it on my website. A few years ago I set a goal to read a book a week for a year, and did it, but don’t have the summary information now so a lot of it is lost.
4. What would you like to change in this job to make it ideal?
My experience is that the job doesn’t need to change, I need to change. I need to master it and the challenge of that is exciting. Obviously, at some point in my career, I'd hope to be able to handle even more responsibility."
(Part II) How would you describe the most and least ideal boss you could choose?
I’ve worked for most and am able to adapt so long as I know the goals of the organization. I like direction and feedback but don’t operate as creatively if someone is hovering over me. If the boss is an A-player with a high leadership rating I'll do well; if he is weak, indecisive, lazy, and wants to be second-best I'll not prosper.
5. What activities in your position do you enjoy most?
Winning. Seeing others win. High staff morale comes from getting wins. Products released, problems solved, learning takes place and the “lights go on.” These are all wins.
6. How would you describe yourself with three adjectives?
High energy, results oriented, team builder
(Part II) How would your subordinates describe you with three adjectives?
Same. I have a list of references to confirm this.
7. Do you think you praise enough?
Yes. This is a priority. I’m convinced encouragement is the oxygen of the soul. This is especially true for the Gen-X’s-ers.
8. What would you do if you detected a peer falsifying expense records?
On day one I tell my staff there’s two reasons why I’d ever let anyone go and one of those reasons is lying. If they knew my disposition and did this anyway, I’d report it and give my feeling to the director.
9. What would you do if the company you just joined gave you three thousand dollars to spend during the first year in any way you felt appropriate?
Go on a road trip blitz to as many customers of our products as I could fit in. Observe them and ask them lots of questions. I call this going to Gemba.
10. If you had a choice, would you rather draw up plans or implement them?
Draw them up, get them approved, and have my staff implement them.
11. State three situations in which you did not succeed. Why?
I hired a Production Engineer in 2004 and after two months had to fire him. After checking references and having him in interviews four times it turned out to not be a good hire. I didn’t mentor him enough as a result of locating him on the factory floor, rather than the office area. He made more than one offensive comment to women workers and it would have been bad for morale (at best) and legally an issue (at worse) if he remained on my staff, so to cut my losses I dismissed him.
Once I went to work for a small math foundation because I could work out of my home, which at the time was appealing. I didn’t do my homework and the financial position of the organization was not nearly what I thought it was. I lasted four months of working 12-hour days, 6-1/2 days per week, before I had to find other work. I was invited back to Honeywell (I was contracting part time there throughout this period).
12. When you fire somebody, what would be your key objective? Why?
That it was best for the organization. If they cannot help the department or the organization get to where it needs to be, then it’s best for all concerned to separate from each other.
13. What need do you expect to satisfy by accepting this position?
I believe I have the tool set and energy to really run hard and be productive. I like being around very smart people, I like technology, and I like winning.
14. What would you like to change in this job to make it ideal?
Like I said earlier, it’s likely me who needs to change. I’d want to master it as defined.
15. We all fib occasionally. Would you say something that is not entirely true? Give me three examples when you did.
I would not agree with the premise that everyone lies. I don’t and won’t. If I was ever caught in a lie I’d resign on the spot. I don’t expect anyone on my staff to lie to me. I don’t trust liars.
16. What benefits can be expected from threatening an employee to do better?
If performance is not where it should be, then the employee should be advised of this in clear terms. They must meet the requirements of the job description as this affects the organization’s success and prosperity. There are methods of increasing severity to accomplish this: verbal, written, PIP (performance improvement plan), dismissal. I have done them all.
(Part II) When would you do that?
When performance was sub-par for a sustained period of time (a few weeks) and casual conversation was ineffective. Then it would get formal (verbal, written, PIP, dismissal) with HR and the executive team in the loop.
17. If you encountered serious difficulties on this job, what would they be?
Behavior or decisions inconsistent with the stated vision, values, and mission of the organization.
18. What are three things you are afraid to find in this job?
I have no fears in any position.
19. We all have negative areas we would like to improve. Do you agree? If you do, could you give me three areas in which you would like to improve?
Yes, I agree.
I wish I could read faster. My wife and kids 9-years old and above all read faster than I do. I’ve tried speed-reading courses but they have been ineffective. So I just make the time required to read what’s required.
I’d like to earn a graduate degree and continue to explore evening and on-line programs. Advanced, focused training in professional management appeals to me and would help me.
20. How do you motivate people?
Hi expectations and imparting to them that I have confidence in them. Casting vision. Including them in decisions (gains buy-in). Example.
21. (EXTRA) When do you think you have arrived? (Definition of success)
When the Master says, “well done good and faithful servant.”
Questions I’d ask when it was my turn…
What is the reporting structure?
How is the financial health of the company?
What is my budget authority?
What is the company culture (think tank, science projects, results expected, casual, etc.)
Why is the position open?
If the last person in the role succeeded, why?
If the last person in the role failed, why?
Does the company encourage educational and training programs? Describe?
What are your sales per employee?
When can I expect a decision?
What is the expected workload & hours of an executive member. (Does it matter how many hours you put in as long as the job gets done?)
How important is quality & balance of work & life to the Company, for its employees?
Six months from now, what will I have done to allow you to say, “Bob was a good hire for us”?