Tell me about a situation when you had to course correct after realizing your team was not meeting your standards.
Question Analysis
This is a behavioral interview question aimed at assessing your leadership and management skills, particularly your ability to recognize when performance is lacking and take corrective actions. The interviewer is interested in understanding how you handle underperformance, your decision-making process, and your ability to implement change effectively. It's important to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your response, providing a clear and detailed example from your experience.
Answer
Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, I led a team responsible for delivering a critical client project. Midway through the project, I noticed that our deliverables were consistently behind schedule and the quality was not meeting our established standards.
Task: My task was to identify the root cause of the underperformance and implement a strategy to get the team back on track, ensuring we met both the timeline and quality expectations set by the client.
Action: I scheduled a team meeting to discuss our progress and encouraged open dialogue about any challenges. It became clear that there was a communication breakdown and unclear priorities. I implemented a daily stand-up meeting to improve communication and redefined the project milestones to align with our timeline. Additionally, I provided targeted training sessions to address skill gaps identified during the discussions.
Result: As a result of these actions, our team's efficiency improved significantly. We were able to catch up on the project timeline and delivered the final product to the client on schedule. The quality of work also met the expected standards, which led to positive feedback from the client and a strengthened relationship moving forward.
By structuring your answer in this way, you demonstrate your problem-solving capabilities and commitment to maintaining high standards within your team.