V onboarding questions

14 rows
idquestion_textquestion_typeprompt_contextexample_answerfollow_upsequence_orderis_anchor
1 Who did you choose — when someone else would have done just as well? choice This is the inner circle question. Not who you trust — who you chose. The choice reveals the motivation. The motivation is the intelligen... I chose my colleague to edit my work, even though my mother taught English and had a master's in the same field. She could have done it e... What did that person bring that the other option didn't? 1 true open →
2 Who do you call when a hard question comes up in your work? functional Seeds the functional resource index. The answer surfaces domain expertise available through trusted relationship. Not the most credential... My wife. She has a master's in mechanical engineering and works in nuclear power. When I have an energy question, I call her. What domain does that person cover for you? 2 false open →
3 Who picks up the phone without you having to schedule first? access Identifies spontaneous call relationships — the highest trust modality. The person who picks up without scheduling is the inner circle. T... Three people. My best friend from grade school. My former boss at the intelligence agency. My college roommate. When did you last actually call them? 3 false open →
4 Who shaped how you think before any institution or employer did? formation Surfaces pre-institutional formation — the people who built the cognitive architecture before school, employer, or professional context e... My physics teacher in high school. He explained things from first principles. I still think about problems the way he taught me to. Are you still in touch with them? 4 false open →
5 Who have you stopped reaching out to — and do you know why? silence The silence classifier question. Silence has two interpretations: termination (the relationship ended) or deepening (it moved off every l... Someone I worked with closely for years. We just... stopped. I'm not sure if it was intentional or drift. Is that a relationship you want to reactivate? 5 false open →
6 Who in your network knows something about you that your LinkedIn profile doesn't? motivation The inner circle visibility question. Not what they know about your career — what they know about how you think, what you care about, why... My executive coach. He knows I nearly took a different path three times in my career and why I didn't. None of that is in my resume. What would change if the people you work with knew that? 6 false open →
9 Who do you know who was trusted with something before they had the credential to prove they could do it? motivation Finds the people the credential system passed on but someone saw clearly enough to extend trust before the institution confirmed it. Grif... My boss hired me before I finished my degree. He went on to run NASA. Who extended that trust — and what did they see that the credential system missed? 7 false open →
10 Who prepared you for a room you eventually got into? formation Finds the Sister Shermanes and Shelton Andersons — the people who shaped the person before any institution recorded it. A teacher at my elementary school and a neighbor taught me calculus before I ever got to college. Are you still in touch with them? 8 false open →
11 Who hired you, promoted you, or gave you access before you had the credential to prove you deserved it — and what were they like? formation Surfaces the non-traditional manager. The Fenchels and Griffins — managers whose own formation is so deep they read capability from first... A PhD mathematician walked me through the research library on my first visit. That was the interview. He was testing whether I responded ... What did they see in you that the credential system wouldn't have shown them? 9 false open →
12 Has this person ever managed resources that weren't theirs — and what happened? motivation The fiduciary character question. Not "are they talented" — did they steward someone else's resources honestly. Financial stewardship und... He ran a $20M defense contractor for 7 years. I've seen every financial decision he made. No surprises. How did you come to know that about them? 10 false open →
13 Who has trusted this person with something they could not easily recover from losing? motivation The irreversible trust question. Security clearances. Fiduciary roles. Being left alone with the keys. When someone trusts you with somet... The US government trusted him with classified national security infrastructure for 14 years. That's not a reference. That's a verdict. What would it have taken for that trust to be extended? 11 false open →
14 Is there someone you have been meant to bring forward — and haven't yet? formation The succession question. Surfaces the open end of a trust chain. Jesus holds Troy's jacket and has not decided who receives it. That pati... I have a jacket that hasn't found its next person. I'll know when I see it. What would you need to see to know? 12 false open →
15 Who would pick up if you called after two years of silence? access The latent bond question. Distinct from dormant relationships that would require rebuilding. Latent bonds are fully intact — just not rec... My line brother from 1983. We haven't spoken in two years. He'd pick up on the first ring and we'd be exactly where we left off. When did you last need to call on that bond? 13 false open →
17 Why is the company named what it is? naming The naming filter (fact 681). Naming is an act that transmits heritage, intent, and a call to action — so a name chosen with diligence is... Strong — Palantir: founder decompresses the name to the Tolkien seeing-stone (sight across distance), names its danger (true but curated ... And do they know who they are? Can they explain why the company exists without leaning on the name as decoration? Then: who chose the nam... 0 true open →