data clearly suggest that poor skills or poor planning is an issue, the
candidate’s optimism won’t make a difference. However, the spirit of
these questions is to try to determine what perspective the candidate
brings to the team. Listen for positive statements and a hopeful per-
spective that the candidate brings when describing past situations.
Find out about the candidate’s tolerance for others who are optimistic.
Does the candidate have a positive regard for hopefulness or opti-
mism, or does he view such thinking with contempt? Sure, facts and
data are important, and certain candidates trained in certain disci-
plines will rely more than others ...