In his book Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferris interviews various domain experts with just 11 good questions. These are good questions you could ask anyone to start to get an idea of what kind of person they are:

1. What are 1 to 3 books that have greatly influenced your life?

2. What purchase of $100 or less recently has most positively influenced your life?

3. How has a failure set you up for later success?
4. If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say and why?

5. What is one of the most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?

6. What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

7. In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

8. What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world? What advice should they ignore?

9. What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession, or in life in general?

10. In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (e.g. distractions, invitations)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped? Any other tips?

11. When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?