Heasley's Secret

Linda Heasley is president and CEO of The Limited (of Victoria's Secret fame), based near Columbus, Ohio. Her thoughts on hiring and interviewing - -

Passion. I like curiosity. I like energy level. They have to have a sense of humor. They have to be willing to take a risk. I ask questions around each of those, like, "Give me an example of a situation where you think you took a risk or took a controversial point of view." It's as much about seeing how they addressed issues and situations as it is what they decided to do. They have to be smart. I like people who have demonstrated performance in a number of different places.

I always like to hear what books they read. I like an example of a challenging situation in a business environment where they took a controversial position. As I said, it doesn't matter to me what they decided, but I like to see how they handled it. I like hearing what they do they're not in the office. I like to hear how a direct report would describe you and your management style. I like to hear their philosophy of leadership.