Share a time when you disagreed with a team member.

Question Analysis

This question is designed to assess your interpersonal and conflict-resolution skills. The interviewer is interested in understanding how you handle disagreements within a team, a common scenario in any workplace. They want to see if you can navigate conflicts professionally and constructively. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a useful framework to structure your response, allowing you to clearly present the context, your role, actions taken, and the outcome of the situation.

Answer

Situation: In my previous job as a project manager, I was part of a team working on a major product launch. One of my team members, who was in charge of marketing, proposed a strategy that I believed would not align with our target audience.

Task: My task was to ensure that our marketing strategy effectively reached our audience and met the project goals. I needed to address my concerns with the team member and work towards a solution that aligned with our objectives.

Action: I scheduled a one-on-one meeting with the team member to discuss my concerns. I listened to their reasoning and shared my perspective, backed by data and past experiences. Together, we brainstormed alternative strategies and agreed on a revised plan that combined elements of both our ideas.

Result: As a result of our collaboration, we developed a more comprehensive marketing strategy that was well-received by the target audience. The campaign ultimately exceeded our engagement goals by 20%, demonstrating the value of constructive disagreement and teamwork in achieving successful outcomes.