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When preparing for a senior-level interview, most candidates expect questions about strategy, leadership style, and financial performance. Yet the most revealing questions are often the ones that don’t feel like questions at all. They probe culture, vision, and alignment: areas where high impact executives either shine or falter. Recognising and preparing for these “hidden” questions gives you the edge.

1. Technical or “delivery” questions: “How did you turn around under-performance in your last role?”

Technical delivery questions are expected and you should prepare to talk numbers, process improvements, KPI dashboards and so on. But there’s a subtle layer executives often miss: how you led the change and brought others on the journey. It’s not enough to have delivered.  The interviewer wants to see how you engaged the team, made decisions under ambiguity, and built sustainable momentum.

Tip: Structure your answer in three parts:

• Situation/Challenge: “We were under budget by 25% in Q1”
• Action you took: “I restructured the team into project pods, introduced fortnightly sprint reviews, and shifted from monthly to weekly forecasting.”
• Team and sustainability angle: “I ran workshops to embed the new mindset; by Q3 we were ahead of target, and the pods model continues now three years later.”

2. Vision and leadership questions: “Where do you see us in five years?”

This question is not just about showing you have done your homework on the organisation, it is about demonstrating your strategic imagination, your ability to lead through uncertainty, and your capacity to align that vision with the organisation’s mission.

How to approach it:

• Show you have thought about where the business could go, not just where it is.
• Align your vision with the company’s values and vision model.
• Include a realistic timeframe and milestones, “In five years I see us… In three years we’ll have… and by year 5 we’ll have achieved…”

What they’re really listening for:

• Can you see beyond the status-quo?
• Do you understand the market, and can you anticipate shifts?
• Are you prepared to lead the organisation into the future, not just maintain the present?

3. Soft-Leadership questions: “Tell me about a time you failed, and what you learnt.”

While this might feel like a standard behavioural question, at executive level it doesn’t just ask what you did; it asks how you processed, how you grew, how you influenced others thereafter. In other words, your emotional intelligence and resilience are on display.

Tip: Use the STAR method briefly (Situation, Task, Action, Result) but amplify the “Result” and “Learning” sections. Explain how your failure changed your leadership style, improved outcomes for others, or changed culture. For example: “When the project missed the milestone, I realised we hadn’t set clear decision-rights. I redefined those, facilitated a unified approach across functions, and future deliverables improved by 30%. My approach now always starts with decision-framework alignment.”

4. Strategy Alignment questions: “If you joined us, what would you tackle first?”

This question bridges culture, execution, and vision. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate you’ve done your homework, you understand the business context and you already have a roadmap. You’re not expected to present a fully-fleshed plan (and it’s wise not to over-promise), instead you show you’ve thought about priorities and how your leadership would slot into them.

Tip: Identify 2-3 priorities (e.g. digital transformation, talent optimisation, expansion) and link them to credible early wins. For example, “In 90 days I’d meet the leadership team, review the top 10 strategic initiatives, map resources, and identify one “quick-win” that builds credibility and momentum.”

Finally,

Executive interviews are more than a check-list of achievements. They’re a dialogue about fit, future and influence. By preparing for these hidden questions – delivery, vision, leadership, alignment – you shift from reactive candidate to strategic partner. You show not just what you’ve done, but how you think, lead, and will shape what’s next.

At Lucas Executive Search, we partner with leading organisations to place senior executives who will genuinely impact the business and culture. When you walk into that interview, walk in with confidence, insight, and the readiness to answer the questions they may not even realise they’re asking.