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

Question Analysis

This question is a behavioral interview question designed to assess your decision-making skills, leadership abilities, and how you handle situations when your decision is not popular among peers or team members. The interviewer is interested in understanding your thought process, how you manage dissent or opposition, and how you effectively communicate and implement decisions under challenging circumstances. Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) will help structure your response to provide a clear and effective answer.

Answer

Situation: At my previous job as a project manager, we were working on a significant client project with a tight deadline. During the project, it became evident that the current approach was not sustainable and that we needed to pivot to ensure quality and timely delivery.

Task: As the project manager, it was my responsibility to make difficult decisions that would benefit the project and the company. I realized that we needed to allocate additional resources and change our workflow, despite knowing that this decision might be unpopular due to increasing workload and shifting team responsibilities.

Action: I called a team meeting to present the issues with the current approach and proposed a new plan that involved reallocating some team members to different tasks and extending work hours temporarily. I communicated the potential benefits of this change and encouraged open discussion to address any concerns. I also provided support and assured the team that this decision was necessary to meet our deadlines and maintain quality standards.

Result: Initially, there was resistance, but by transparently communicating the reasons and listening to the team's feedback, I was able to gain their support. The new approach was implemented, and we successfully completed the project on time. The client was impressed with the quality of our work, and the team felt a sense of accomplishment for overcoming the challenge together. This experience reinforced the importance of clear communication and collaborative decision-making in overcoming initial resistance to unpopular decisions.