Use this guide to assess fair, evidence-based readiness for promotion. Each question includes suggested follow‑ups and what strong answers often include.

Readiness & Leveling Criteria

Which parts of the next-level expectations are you already demonstrating consistently? Give evidence.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• References an explicit leveling rubric or competencies
• Cites repeated behaviors across projects/quarters
• Provides measurable outcomes and stakeholder feedback

Where are your current gaps relative to the next level, and what is your plan to close them?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Specific, prioritized gaps with timelines
• Concrete learning plan, mentorship, or exposure
• Evidence of progress and checkpoints

Results & Sustained Impact

What are the 2–3 outcomes from the last 12 months you’re most proud of? Why do they matter?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Clear problem framing and business/customer impact
• Quantified results (revenue, cost, quality, time-to-value)
• Role clarity and collaboration, not solo heroics

Tell me about an initiative where impact continued after you stepped back.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Builds mechanisms/processes others can run
• Documentation, training, and ownership transfer
• Outcome sustained or improved post-handoff

Scope, Complexity & Autonomy

Describe a time you expanded scope (ambiguous problem, cross-team dependencies) and still delivered.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Owns end-to-end; anticipates risks and dependencies
• Balances speed/quality; escalates with options
• Demonstrates judgment and prioritization at scale

What’s the most complex decision you made recently? How did you make it?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Explicit criteria and trade-offs
• Considers reversibility and risks
• Monitors outcomes; ready to pivot

Leadership & People Development

How have you leveled up the people around you?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Mentors/coaches; creates opportunities and visibility
• Improves team practices, not just individual help
• Evidence from peer/manager feedback or promotions

Share a situation where you held a high bar with empathy.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Balances standards with support
• Documents expectations; follows through
• Improves performance or outcomes respectfully

Collaboration & Influence

Give an example of influencing a decision without formal authority.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Pre-reads and 1:1 alignment
• Uses data, customer signals, and clear criteria
• Records decision and follow-up actions

Tell me about resolving a conflict across teams while protecting outcomes.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Separates interests from positions
• Offers options and trade-offs
• Keeps execution moving; documents agreements

Customer & Business Orientation

How did you connect your work to customer value or business outcomes?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Direct customer input or data feeds decision-making
• Defines success metrics; closes the loop
• Quantifies impact or learning

Describe a time you killed or paused work to protect value.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Recognizes sunk-cost fallacy; proposes alternatives
• Communicates clearly; frees capacity
• Tracks outcomes after change

Operational Excellence & Ownership

What mechanisms have you installed that consistently improve quality or throughput?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Dashboards/SLAs, checklists, playbooks, or automations
• Owner and review cadence defined
• Measured improvements, not just activity

Tell me about a miss. What changed because of it?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Owns root cause; blameless postmortem
• Implements durable fixes and monitoring
• Shows evidence the fix worked

Growth Mindset & Learning Velocity

What new skill did you acquire in the last 6 months that changed your effectiveness?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Clear before/after and application to outcomes
• Deliberate practice and feedback loops
• Shares learning with others

When did someone change your mind recently? What did you do next?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Intellectual humility; seeks disconfirming evidence
• Adapts plan and communicates change
• Measures result of the new choice

Values, Inclusion & Culture

How have you contributed to a more inclusive, respectful environment?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Specific behaviors and mechanisms, not slogans
• Impact on hiring, development, or decision quality
• Evidence from feedback or metrics

Describe a time you upheld a principle under pressure.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Names principle and stakeholders
• Chooses long-term trust over short-term optics
• Documents rationale and outcomes

Evidence & References

Whose feedback should we read to understand your impact? Why them?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Diverse stakeholders (peers, reports, partners)
• Highlights constructive feedback as well as praise
• Open to direct follow-up

If not promoted now, what would be true in 3–6 months to make you a clear yes?

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Defines outcomes, behaviors, and scope
• Sets milestones and owners (including self)
• Aligns with manager on plan

Scenario Exercises (Role-agnostic)

Draft a one-page plan to land a cross-team initiative in 90 days.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Objective and success metrics
• Milestones, owners, risks, comms
• Decision checkpoints and readouts

You’re given a 15% capacity cut next quarter. Re-scope your roadmap and explain trade-offs.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Protects core value; defers lower ROI
• Communicates clearly to stakeholders
• Defines monitoring and reversal triggers

Present an escalation brief on two competing options with decision criteria and recommendation.

Follow-ups: What was the context? Who were the stakeholders? What options did you consider? How did you measure impact? What would you do differently?

What good looks like:

• Concise context and options
• Risks, reversibility, and sensitivities
• Clear recommendation and next steps

Red Flags

• Impact that is episodic or hard to attribute
• Scope limited to own lane; avoids ambiguity or ownership
• Activity over outcomes; no mechanisms for repeatability
• Defensiveness to feedback; weak learning loop
• Inconsistent values or team impact (brilliant jerk risk)

Evaluation Rubric (Anchor Examples)

• 4 – Ready Now: Demonstrates next-level behaviors across multiple cycles; delivers sustained, measurable outcomes; grows others; models values.
• 3 – Close: Strong performance with a few targeted gaps and a credible plan in motion.
• 2 – Emerging: Some signals but inconsistent results or scope; needs more reps and mechanisms.
• 1 – Not Yet: Role-level performance only; limited scope, weak outcomes, or values concerns.