Why this VC who sold his last company for $3 billion asks this unusual interview question
Youtube/SuccessFactorsInc
But before stepping into the world of venture capitalism, Dalgaard was a serial entrepreneur who sold his last company, SuccessFactors, for $3 billion to SAP.
When he sold SuccessFactors, the company already had over 1,000 employees, so Dalgaard knows a thing or two about hiring and growing a business.
In an interview with The New York Times' Adam Bryant, Dalgaard shared his insights about interviewing job candidates and creating the right work culture.
One thing that stood out from the Q&A was the oddball interview question Dalgaard said he always asks job candidates: "What did you learn from your mom?"
Dalgaard said it's an "incredibly powerful" question that could give a much better clue about the person's emotions. "Basically I'm testing them to see, 'How human are you ready to be with me?'" he told the Times.
In fact, Dalgaard stressed that one of the most important things in business is the idea of "daring to be human," an aspect that he tries to enforce in work environments as well. "We could all be so much more human, but we don't allow ourselves to do it," he said.
For example, whenever an employee emails him to secretly complain about a coworker, Dalgaard said he would add the person they were complaining about into the email thread so they could all openly discuss their problems. "It goes back to daring to be human and talking to people face to face about problems," he said.
This isn't the first time we've heard Dalgaard share his thoughts about emotions and business. Two years ago, when he left SAP to join Andreessen Horowitz, Dalgaard told us, "Emotion has everything to do with business. It's what gets you fired up in the morning."
Read the full New York Times interview here.
Disclosure: Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, is an investor in Business Insider.
- A teenager accidentally hits the accelerator pedal, and a five-year-old boy loses his life in a tragic incident in Bengaluru
- Amid growing political uncertainty in Pakistan, IMF expresses concern over its financial stability
- OPINION: Balancing act or pure jugglery — navigating professional challenges as a working mother
- OPINION: Ecofeminism — a diversified perspective on Mother’s Day
- Inflation data, Q4 earnings, global trends to drive stock markets this week: Analysts
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market