How does one gauge autonomy in a customer success interview?

To gauge autonomy of Customer Success Manager candidates, I like to ask:

• Describe what role the CSM plays with the customer, in your experience?
  This helps me see the candidate's willingness to be strategic or tactical (hopefully both, when necessary!), how they work with internal cross-functional teams, and how they view ownership of commercial responsibilities.
  

• Provide an example of a customer escalation and how you turned it around.
  In this question, I'm looking for a candidate to both show ownership over the ultimate resolution of the issue and the ability to navigate difficult internal and external situations. The best answers are those that demonstrate collaboration and use of resources without placing blame on others or an over-reliance on executives.
  

• How do you work with the support team for defects or other issues?
  Success of the customer is a team sport, with CS driving proactive results and support working to resolve problems when they arise. The best CSMs understand that one doesn't work without the other and demonstrate that in the answer to this question.
  

• What are some things you've done to drive success that aren't directly related to your book of business?
  In other words, I want to learn about the other projects a CSM has done in the past to keep the business moving forward. Some examples I've seen in my own experience are working with marketing to create an industry-related podcast, driving a customer advocacy and review program, and creating shared materials to save time and help the business scale.

This is a great question because autonomy is such a key trait for a CSM. And since CSMs come from a variety of backgrounds, getting a clear take on someone's autonomy is critical.

Prompt the candidate to tell you about their autonomy by asking them directly: can you tell me about a work situation where you owned an outcome?  

What you're looking for here is their sense that they are responsible for driving outcomes - that ownership of outcomes is the autonomy you're looking for since they owe the Customer an answer or solution. But within the autonomy of being the responsible party, you need to also hear that they collaborate effectively. CSMs always have to rely on the contributions of others from sales, to account management, to product to support.  

Your best gauge is specificity. Is the story vibrant? Told in a clear way with a beginning, middle and end? If the answer sounds mushy, it is.