Lars Dalgaard is a venture capitalist with a track record of entrepreneurial success. He sold his last company, SuccessFactors, for $3 billion.

In recent interviews, Dalgaard has set himself apart from his peers with his emphasis on establishing a personal connection with employees. In a Business Insider article, Eugene Kim quotes Dalgaard as saying, “We could all be so much more human, but we don’t allow ourselves to do it.”

Kim reports that when Dalgaard – now a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz – owned his own businesses, he always asked one question during employment interviews that was intended to take interviewees out of their comfort zones. The question was this: “What did you learn from your mother?”

Dalgaard described the question to The New York Times as “incredibly powerful…. Basically I’m testing them to see, ‘How human are you ready to be with me?'”

What do you think of Dalgaard’s approach? Does the question blur boundaries that should be left untouched, or open doors to greater workplace trust and collegiality? I invite you to share your thoughts on this and offer any other interview questions you favour, either in the comments section below, or directly via email.