If you ever had to make an unpopular decision, tell us about it.

Question Analysis

This question is aimed at exploring your decision-making skills and your ability to handle situations where your choices might not be well-received by others. Interviewers are interested in understanding how you justify your decisions, manage conflict, and follow through when faced with opposition. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is an effective way to structure your response to ensure clarity and comprehensiveness.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, our team was working on a high-stakes project with a tight deadline. Due to unforeseen circumstances, our primary supplier was unable to deliver critical components on time.

Task: As the project lead, I needed to make a quick decision to keep the project on track. The options were to delay the project or switch to a less preferred but reliable supplier, which would increase costs and reduce margins.

Action: I decided to switch suppliers to ensure timely project completion, even though it was an unpopular decision with the team and management due to the increased costs. I gathered the team to explain the situation, the urgency of the decision, and the potential risks of not meeting the deadline. I also communicated with management, providing data to justify the financial impact versus the cost of missing the project deadline.

Result: Although the decision was initially met with resistance, the project was completed on time, maintaining our reputation with the client. The team later recognized the importance of the decision in preserving our client relationship, and management appreciated the transparency and data-driven approach I used to communicate the rationale behind the decision.