Do you walk to work, or carry your lunch?

That post title really has nothing to do with this post, other than it's a fun question to ask people and watch their eyes roll around in their head.

When interviewing candidates, one of my favorite questions to ask goes something like this: "All things being equal, would you say you tend to ask permission first, or ask forgiveness later?" I usually follow up with a "Why?" but that first question alone tells me a lot about a person. As for me, personally, I tend to ask forgiveness later, so I'm comfortable hearing that from candidates, but I also like to hear their reasoning.

Anyway, my ideal candidate would say they preferred to ask forgiveness later, but that their actual response would depend upon the situation at hand. If they were uncomfortable and covering new ground, they'd likely ask permission first. But if it felt comfortable, or if time was of the essence and they had good justifications, then they'd act now and ask forgiveness later, if needed.