30 minutes? Not even an hour? I'm a senior and I need an hour to work my way through deep questions (not just technical) to see what real-world experience the candidate has while simultaneously judging cultural fit. I prefer an hour and a half to allow time for the candidate to feel more comfortable and come up with their own questions.
I definitely agree with the taking risks part. Hiring should not be about the most talent or experience, but the best mix of qualities (including their own personal goals) to fit what you're hiring for.
Not OP but I often ask people their opinion on things (work/project related of course). I'm hoping to find some part of our domain where we disagree, to see how well they can have a civil discussion about something where we don't agree. To fit in on our team, everyone needs to be able to have mature discussions when we don't agree because disagreements happen a lot (and we end up with a better solution when we talk through them).
I definitely agree with the taking risks part. Hiring should not be about the most talent or experience, but the best mix of qualities (including their own personal goals) to fit what you're hiring for.