Tell me about a time where you were unpopular thanks to a decision you imposed on your team

Question Analysis

This question is a behavioral interview question designed to assess how you handle difficult situations, particularly those involving leadership and decision-making. The interviewer is interested in understanding how you manage conflict and maintain team morale, even when your decisions are not well-received. They're looking for evidence of your ability to make tough decisions, stand by them, and communicate effectively with your team.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, we were approaching a critical phase of a project with a tight deadline. The team was working on various tasks, and it became evident that we were not on track to meet our deadline due to resource constraints.

Task: As the project manager, it was my responsibility to ensure that the project stayed on schedule. After analyzing the situation, I realized that reallocating resources and prioritizing certain tasks was necessary to meet our deadline.

Action: I decided to temporarily reassign some team members to different tasks that required immediate attention. This decision was not popular, as it meant some team members had to put aside the work they were passionate about and focus on tasks they found less interesting. I called a team meeting to explain the reasoning behind my decision, emphasizing the importance of meeting our deadline and how the reallocation was crucial for the project's success. I also assured them that this change was temporary and that their original tasks would resume once the critical phase was completed.

Result: Although initially met with resistance, my transparency and open communication helped the team understand the importance of the decision. We successfully met the project deadline, and the team was able to return to their original tasks shortly after. The experience reinforced the importance of clear communication and decisiveness in leadership.