Appendixes

Initial Screening Interviews

1. Are you willing to discuss details of your leading a USAID development project?

2. If you are willing, why?

Interview Number 1 Questions

Level One Interview Questions

Project Leadership Questions

1. Tell me about how you came to be an international development project leader.

2. Tell me about the most recent project you led? Could you please tell me everything involved in your leading the project? I will listen and make some notes and I will not interrupt you until you have finished. Please take as much time as you feel necessary and tell me all the details you remember that, in your opinion, are connected to your leading the project.

   • Tell me about how you went about leading this international development project. What did you do?

   • Could you describe a typical day for you as the leader of the project? To what extent did you feel you had control, over what, and why that was the case?

   • What problems did you encounter while leading this project? Could you tell me the source of these problems? What helped you manage these problems? Could you tell me how your being an expatriate affected your ability to resolve this problem?

   • What, if anything, did you know about the country when you arrived? About the culture? About the socio-political-economic context?

   • What, if anything, do you wish you had known before you arrived about the country? About the culture? About the socio-political-economic context?

   • How were you affected or influenced in your work as project leader by the culture or the socio-political-economic context?

   • How was the project implementation affected or influenced by the culture or the socio-political-economic context?

   • Could you tell me how your being an expatriate affected or influenced the implementation of the project?

   • Could you tell me how your gender affected or influenced your effectiveness in leading this particular project?

   • How did your previous leadership experiences affect or influence your effectiveness in leading this particular project?

   • Who were most helpful to you in leading this project? How were they helpful?

   • Were any organizations or individuals helpful to you in leading this project? How were they helpful?

   • Could you tell me how successful you felt you were in leading the project? Why did you feel that way? What contributed to your feeling successful, or not feeling successful? What would have helped you increase the degree of success you achieved? What do you wish could have been different? If you were stepping in to lead this project tomorrow, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? What would you do the same?

   • Could you share with me how host country nationals defined success? For the project? For themselves?

     Personal/Professional Leadership Questions

   • How would you describe the leader you were then?

   • Would you tell me how you would describe the leader you are now? What most has contributed to this change [or continuity]?

   • Could I ask you to describe the most important lessons you learned through leading this project?

   • How, if at all, have your thoughts and feelings about leading this project changed since leaving the project?

   • What positive changes have occurred in your life or leadership since leaving the project?

   • What negative changes have occurred in your life or leadership since leaving the project?

   • Where do you see yourself in five years? Describe the leader you hope to be then. How would you compare the leader you hope to be and the leader you see yourself as right now?

     Closing Questions

   • What do you think are the most important ways to lead a cross-cultural, expatriate/national project team? How did you discover them? How did your experience leading this project affect your way of leading cross-cultural, expatriate/national project team?

   • Could you tell me how your views may have changed about international development projects as a result of leading this project?

   • How have you grown as a leader since leading this project? Tell me about the strengths you discovered or developed through leading this project. What do you value most about yourself now? What do others most value in you?

   • After having the experience of leading this project, what advice would you give to someone who has just been offered the opportunity to lead a similar project?

   • Is there something that you might not have thought about before that occurred to you during this interview?

   • Is there something else you think I should know to understand about to lead international development projects better?

   • As you know, USAID projects are a “gift from the American people,” and yet many Americans do not know anything about these projects and what it takes to “deliver their gift.” What are three things you would like Americans to know about your work as an expatriate leader delivering this gift on their behalf?

   • As you likely know, Congress appropriates funding for foreign aid, including USAID's funding for projects. What are three things you think would be helpful for members of Congress to know about these projects?

   • What are three things USAID could do to help expatriate leaders be more successful in managing their projects? Are there things they are doing, practices, policies, etc. that hinder or help project success?

   • Is there anything you would like to ask me?