PROUDLY PRESENTS

John Farrell
Resident of The USA and 3-DNET® VIP member
Email contact : john@exec.org

      

VIDEO INTRODUCTION®

  

 

INTERVIEW WITH 3-DNET®

Listen to sample sound "bites" from the interview:  

Question 1 : Tell me about yourself

I am the second of five children born of professional working parents and have found this to be of great value to me throughout my career. Our home environment promoted accountability, responsibility, teamwork and what I later discovered to be "coopetition".   As my mother and father strove to provide us with greater opportunities, we all learned the benefit of working together and accepting a variety of roles to make things work. But of the five of us, I was the one who always welcomed risk.  More importantly, I learned quickly how to recover from mistakes and how to use the learning process to translate failure into future success.

Question:  "Tell me about yourself....?"  

Question 2 : What can you offer to your next employer ?

Throughout my life and my career, I have seen all challenges as opportunities and have embraced change as a standard. Having been in the financial services industry from its technological infancy I have gained unique insights and experiences. More importantly, I have been able to translate these across a variety of products and life cycles.

I am confident and self directed. I use my skills to develop and translate strategies into implementable plans while fostering ownership within my work group. I have a long history of accepting the most difficult challenges facing an organization and succeeding under adverse circumstances.

Question:  "What can you offer....?"  

Question 3 : What are your strengths ?

I hold myself to the highest standards, am extremely analytic and intellectually curious, and continually explore resolutions to the complex nature of multi-relational, multi-functional, hi volume service environments.

I learned early in my career that effective leaders are adopted by their associates. To be successful in any organization, required me to choreograph diverse skills and personalities toward common goals in a “co-operative” environment.

My extensive experience in business and operating turnarounds has afforded me the opportunity to learn a great deal from the mistakes of others. I participate, actively, with all organizational levels to ensure that clear goals are established, are measurable and demonstrable and that individual and group goals are both coordinated and communicated.

Question:  "What are your strengths?"  

Question 4 : What are your accomplishments ?

My three greatest achievements are quite disparate, two are professional and one is very personal.

First, when I joined Prudential Home Mortgage I was presented with the opportunity to build a loan servicing organization, from ground zero. Successfully, selecting a location, staffing the organization, designing the work space, and transitioning the operations from one coast to the other tested and proved the depth and breadth of my abilities. Our performance in opening ahead of schedule, below budget, while improving financial and service performance was  a source of great pride for the entire team.

My second greatest achievement was with First American. There, I was presented with the challenge of “resurrecting” a $30 million field services business that was unable to operate due to a failed systems implementation. The immediacy of the problem required augmenting existing staff with specialized corporate resources while building and implementing an aggressive recovery plan. Through a tremendous team effort, we were able to recover to the system failure within 5 days, to operating delivery standards within 30 days while retaining all of our major clients. By the end of 6 months, we had selected and hired the new division president, implemented a new web service technology, eliminated all staff overtime and had our clients once again recommending our services. More, importantly, we were able to shift the profitability model for the business as the new technologies significantly reduced staffing requirements.

My third and personal accomplishment is having faced and survived colon cancer. I am especially proud of having faced six months of chemo-therapy without having adversely effected my job performance. During my “battle” I discovered that many associates were facing similar challenges.  I found great personal satisfaction in actively participating with helping them face the variety of problems as they effect their personal lives and work environment.

Question:  "What are your accomplishments?"  

Question 5 : What are your limitations ?

Well I mentioned that confidence was one of my strengths, however, in the past I have discovered that I need to moderate the aggressiveness of both individual and group goals that I and most teams will set for themselves. As far as personal limitations, I've always viewed these as transitional challenges and on occasions I may have micro managed through the transitional periods.

Question:  "What are your limitations ?"  

Question 6 : How much are you worth ?

In many ways I consider myself priceless! But seriously, I look to be compensated in line with the market, with the opportunity to share in the economic success that is enjoyed by the results of of my efforts and those of the organization that I lead.

Question:  "How much are you worth ?"  

Question 7 : What are your ambitions for the future ?

My ambitions haven’t really changed throughout my career. I look to lead a world class service organization that measures it's success by customer satisfaction and retention, earnings improvement and sustainability. I look to pursue technology advances aggressively, but in pace with real business opportunity as I continue to learn from all of my associates.

Question:  "What are your ambitions for the future ?"  

Question 8 : How long would it take you start contributing to the firm? 

Immediately, I expect that through the selection process to have sufficiently oriented myself to the goals, issues and opportunities facing the firm as well as gaining clarity in understanding what my role will be in addressing these opportunities. I have benefited greatly throughout my career with challenges that required immediate contribution, my success in the past forms the basis of this confidence..

Question:  "How long would it take ... ?"  

Question 9: What is your management style?

I have found that the word collegial has been over-used in today’s business environment. As I mentioned earlier, people choose leaders that inspire confidence and provide a supportive environment that will enable them to succeed individually and collectively. I bring an absolute commitment to the success of any team that I join and model my behavior accordingly.

While I have worked for managers ranging from autocratic through democratic, in my view, a managers role is more dependent on the challenges that they face and the skills of the team that they lead. Ultimately, that is a collegial and supportive environment, but I have faced challenges that mandated immediate action and accountability and have inspired confidence with my willingness to assume responsibility.

Question:  "What is your management style .... ?"  

Question 10: Why do you think you have a good potential to be a manager?

I am a good manager and can supply a wide variety references to support that claim. For over two decades I have successfully led teams. The challenge we all face as managers is to continually enhance our abilities to select, coach and develop ourselves and our organizations through the ever changing marketplace.

Question:  "Why do you think you..... ?"  

Question 11: What would you look for in hiring people?

I am a strong advocate of a rigorous 360 degree interview process. The success of any team requires immediate integration and support of all new associates. I have seen my role in the process to present competent candidates and provide them with the opportunity to join the team. Personally, I look for a demonstrable willingness to change, an ability to reconcile conflicting goals and a willingness to defer short term personal goals for team results. Smart, dedicated and committed individuals form the basis for selection, integrability is the final determinant.

Question:  "What would you look for hiring .... ?"  

Question 12: As a manager, have you ever had to fire someone?

My termination experience includes business or operating closings as well as performance related issues. Fortunately, most of the performance related terminations were avoided through resignation after extensive coaching, counseling and placement efforts. However, I have had to fire more than five individuals in my career for a variety of causes.  These include insubordination, harassment, and non-performance. It is, without a doubt one of the greatest challenges a manager faces since the action seriously effects the team as well as individual being terminated.

Question:  "As a manager, have you ever..... ?"  

Question 13: What do you see as the most difficult task of being a manager?

In today’s competitive environment, it must be the sustainability of successful results from a perspective of organizational development, technological integration and product or service differentiation. While a manager can never lose sight of current performance, the market demands that we adapt, adopt and alter our strategies and goals to fit the competitive environment. With this in mind, it is critical that leaders never allow themselves, or their associates to wander far from the expectations and demands of their customers (internal or external).

Question:  "What do you see as...... ?"  

Question 14: Describe what you feel is the best work environment?

I have always tried to foster an environment that aligns all team efforts towards the satisfaction of its customers. This would imply an environment that is supportive and realizes that personal and professional relationships inspire the level of camaraderie necessary to fulfill this goal. While equitable and fair treatment is the foundation of this approach, it also realizes that business conditions, at times, violate this and must be addressed for sustainability reasons.

Question:  "Describe what you feel..... ?"  

Question 15: Looking back how do you describe your past employer?

First American was a terrific place to work. Their commitment to associates and customers is clearly evidence in their continuous growth and profit improvement. I have great respect for all of the senior executives that I worked with and have benefited greatly from those associations.

Question:  "Looking back how do you ..... ?"  

Question 16: What have you done to increase productivity, performance, efficiency, etc..?

I will go back to my First American and Prudential Home mortgage for examples. But, what I have generally discovered is that measurements of productivity, performance and efficiency were narrowly defined and often conflicting across departments. At First American, the field services group was expressly focused on the efficiency of item processing and reducing the distribution and collection cost of information. Standards were developed independent of client input and technology was developed without staff participation. What we needed to do was to reconcile the performance of our suppliers to the expectations of our customers. By partnering with our two largest clients and ten largest suppliers we actually truncated many of our operating processes and were able to fund quality review processes while reducing operating cost. Organizationally, this meant realigning these resources (they had been subordinate to the operating head) and developing goals and compensation plans based on client satisfaction in addition to profitability.

At Prudential Home Mortgage, we discovered significant post closing problems that not only increased early delinquencies (and related cost and customer dissatisfaction) but seriously impaired loan salability. To respond to this we developed an intermediary, proactive telemarketing role that not only eliminated early servicing problems but accelerated the sale ability of the loans. This required the management team to augment our goals to include the reduction of service events. The new operation was funded by the benefiting operating groups in the form of staff and operating budget. They were empowered to cross the organization to resolve customer issues and eventually assumed responsibility for all post closing functions.

Question:  "What have you done to .... ?"  

Question 17: Whether you are a "computer wizard", how do you respond to the financial side of your responsibilities?

The absolute measurement of any manager is in the financial performance of their area of responsibility. I am used to distributing financial accountability to the lowest level of the organization as possible while providing the necessary training, technological and accounting support to facilitate the acceptance of these responsibilities. To do this I hold monthly operating reviews that include financial performance and manage delegations based upon performance.

Question:  "Whether you are a "computer wizard".... ?"  

Question 18: How many people have you supervised in your recent job?

At First American, I supervised an organization with 140 full time and part time staff members. In the past, I have had organizations that ranged from 25 professionals to over 900 staff members at two operating locations with Bank of America.

Question:  "How many people have you .... ?"  

Question 19: What do you like more, working with figures or words?

I find working with words to be much more challenging and enjoyable than calculations and numerical relationships. The effective use of the written and spoken word is a skill I have enjoyed developing.  Supporting this is my reading avarice that includes, the internet, business periodicals as well as a reading as a leisure activity. Number skills have always come easily to me, so I figure it is the challenge in the effective use of words that I find so enjoyable.

Question:  "What do you like more ..... ?"  

Question 20: How do you think that your subordinates receive you?

I mentioned earlier that I have always promoted the use of 360 degree reviews completed impartially and without personal disclosure. The result of those reviews were always consistent and in many cases a source of great personal pride. Early in my career, through this approach, I discovered the need to fully engage my associates in all aspects of planning and a need to delegate more authority.

The net message is that I was well respected, personally committed and having had people follow me to a variety of new positions has helped me confirm those results.

 

Question:  "How do you think .... ?"  

Question 21: What do you think of your previous boss?

I have benefited greatly from having worked for many different managers and styles. I like to think I have adopted the best of these into my own skill set.

At First American, the group president is a compassionate, competent and collegial individual. His basic approach was operationally “hands off” while he was personally focused on client and cross business product development. At Prudential I worked for a brilliant writer, thinker and story teller, his approach to engaging us in strategic planning and organizational development provided a fertile ground for personal and professional development. He was the most effective manager I have worked for and was responsible for developing and placing many of senior managers that ran the operating group prior to the acquisition by Wells Fargo.

 

Question:  "What do you think .... ?"  

Question 22: Describe a situation in which your work was criticized?

At First American, I was responsible for our group’s participation in a corporate technology initiative to enable multi-product ordering. When I assumed responsibility for the project, we had already invested over $3 million in developing “our” solution to this technological problem.  I focused my early attention to cost containment and product performance. The criticism came from peers, through my boss.  They perceived that I was independently pursuing a corporate initiative.  I realized in receiving that criticism that I needed to more effectively involve them in the project.  We developed a steering model for the project's budget and activity which was adopted corporate wide.

 

Question:  "Describe a situation .... ?"  

Question 23: If I spoke with your boss what he would say about your greatest strength and weaknesses?

The individual I worked for at Prudential could give you the best rundown of my strengths and weaknesses.  He and I worked very closely through a variety of challenges on a day to day basis. He would tell you that my greatest strength is my ability to identify the opportunity for change, the ability to engage others in developing plans to implement those changes and to manage the success of the implementations beyond conclusion. He’d say my greatest weakness was level of the standards that I set for myself and the need to moderate the level of goals that I set.

 

Question:  "If I spoke with your boss.... ?"  

Question 24: How can you handle life under pressure and with tough deadlines?

I actually thrive under pressure and enjoy the challenge of aggressive deadlines. Throughout my career I have actively pursued opportunities that innately presented this type of environment.

As a manager, I believe it is my role to preempt these conditions as much as reasonably possible given the condition of the business and the market. I guess this poses a different and continuous type of pressure, but it is one that I thoroughly enjoy and believe is my greatest contribution to any organization.

Question:  "How can you handle .... ?"  

Question 25: What do you think you do better: staff work or line work?

Undoubtedly staff work, I have a great respect for those that are personally and professionally fulfilled by line work and the day to day challenges they face. But it is working with people on the future direction of the business and the integration of methods and technologies to improve competitive performance that I find most satisfying.

 

Question:  "What do you think.... ?"  

Question 26: In your current position, what problem have you identified that was previously overlooked?

While I began collecting monthly performance information from all of the operating divisions, I was very surprised that general ledger reviews were not being performed (each running under their own general ledger). We immediately required monthly reporting of a standardized general ledger and initiated a review process.  From these reviews, over $5 million of deferred development expense had been accumulated that was not being expensed despite the implementation of the projects. While this forced the immediate realization of $550,000 business income loss, it precluded a greater loss (if left unidentified) and clarified our understanding of each groups income contributions.

 

Question:  "In your current position .... ?"  

Question 27: If you had a choice of job and a company what would you choose?

The job. I have been involved in both sides of business acquisitions which helped me realize that it is the people and the challenges that determine my satisfaction and not the company.

 

Question:  "If you had a choice of job.... ?"  

Question 28:Do you have any objection to take a psychological test?

No.

 

Question:  "Do you have any objection.... ?"  

Question 29: Do you consider yourself as a creative person?

Extremely.  I discovered this appetite and skills early in my career in preparing sales and marketing collateral material as well formal presentations. On a business level, I have always prided myself as thinking “outside the box” which has served me well with all the business problems I’ve had to face during my career.

 

Question:  "Do you consider yourself.... ?"  

Question 30: How do you describe your personality?

VERY analytic. Goal Oriented and Inquisitive. I have learned to frame these more constructively during my career to eliminate the potential for being considered hyper-critical.

 

Question:  "How do you describe.... ?"  

Question 31: What is your outside reading you do?

I mentioned earlier my passion for reading. I have replaced daily newspaper reading after having discovered the extensive internet news resources. However, I still scan the Sunday NY Times and will have one or two books going at all times. I have always subscribed to the Harvard Business Review to keep pace with the shifting patterns in management theory and am strong patron of the public library (a habit developed due to extensive travel). Mostly, I find myself reading mysteries, biographies and more recently I’ve added technological sources on the net.

 

Question:  "What is your outside.... ?"  

Question 32: What are some of your outside activities?

I enjoy golfing whenever I can find 6 hours of free time but have found early morning walking to be more practical. My hobbies include gardening, I figured it would be better to develop this hobby rather than resenting yard work, and more recently I’ve begun web hosting and web development for my family.  My 15 year old son had begun showing an interest in computers and we're going down this road together, as an alternative to video games.

 

Question:  "What are some of.... ?"  

Question 33: Are you continuing your education?

While I am always learning, my continuing education has taken the form of reading and business case studies (as presented during my employment). I will typically augment my problem resolution with this “school work”. I should mention that I have discovered a new education experience in working with my son with his homework. I am fascinated with the level and pace of modern education and we both have benefited.  He has help teach me humility with respect to the depth and currency of my technology skills.

 

Question:  "Are you continuing your.... ?"  

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