My podcast conversation with Dave Rael on Developer On Fire took me beyond familiar technical questions. The episode was published in April 2016. Dave asked thoughtful questions that made me pause, even though I considered myself a comfortable speaker.
A conversation without prepared answers
Dave didn’t send the questions beforehand. The idea was to draw out honest answers instead of rehearsed responses. That approach worked: I found myself sharing stories from the heart.
One question asked me to describe my biggest failure. I became emotional while answering it. Other questions brought back experiences I had not expected to discuss during an interview.
I enjoyed the conversation because it felt personal and direct. Being comfortable on a stage didn’t mean I had an immediate answer to every question. Some questions took longer to answer than I expected.
Find the original episode
The conversation appeared on April 7, 2016 as Episode 119: Pinal Dave, Serving a Benevolent Master. The title reflects our discussion of the blog and the commitment behind it. We also talked about community, work and personal growth.
Open my interview with Dave Rael on Developer On Fire. The original episode page includes the chapter list and audio link.
The chapter list offers useful starting points: the blog discussion begins around 9:59, and the failure story begins around 42:47. The book recommendations start around 51:50. These are chapter markers from the original episode page.
The two books I recommended
At the end, Dave asked me to recommend two favorite books. That was one question for which I had a ready answer. These were my choices in the 2016 conversation:
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink.
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni.
I had a memorable time talking with Dave. Looking back at the conversation, I still appreciate the questions that required a moment of thought. They made the interview more honest.
A good interview is not a race to the next answer, it is a chance to think before speaking.
Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.
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3 Comments. Leave new
Hello Pinal!
I enjoyed listening to your interview. A lot to learn from it for new bloggers about discipline and consistency. Thanks!
Pinal, you were amazing and inspiring on the interview and it was wonderful to speak with you. Thank you for sharing with me and with my audience and with your readers. You certainly were heartfelt and it turned out even better than I expected.
Very helpful and encouraging. It was especially encouraging to me to hear about your progress with health (I have prayed for you that God would help you find a way to gain a healhy weight), and also how you treat others, even at cost to yourself.