If you took an unpopular decision, please tell me about it

Question Analysis

This question is designed to gauge your decision-making skills, leadership qualities, and your ability to stand by your decisions even when they are unpopular. The interviewer wants to understand how you handle resistance and whether you can effectively communicate and implement decisions that may not initially have widespread support. It's important to demonstrate your reasoning process and how the outcome justified the decision.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, we faced a situation where the project timeline was threatened due to unforeseen technical challenges.

Task: I needed to make a decision on whether to allocate additional resources from another project, which was a controversial move given that it might delay that project.

Action: After evaluating the situation, I decided to reallocate resources temporarily. I communicated my decision to the team and other stakeholders, explaining the potential long-term benefits and how it would ensure the timely completion of our current project. I also implemented a plan to minimize the impact on the second project.

Result: Initially, the decision was met with resistance, but by closely monitoring the progress and maintaining open communication, we managed to complete the project on time without significantly impacting the other project. This decision ultimately preserved client satisfaction and strengthened our team's ability to adapt to challenges, earning me recognition for my leadership in difficult situations.