Have you received any difficult feedback and how have you handled it?

Question Analysis

This question is designed to assess how you handle criticism and challenging feedback, which is crucial in any work environment. It evaluates your ability to remain professional, learn from the feedback, and implement changes if necessary. The interviewer is looking for evidence of self-awareness, resilience, and a growth mindset. Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) will help structure your response effectively.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, I received feedback from a senior colleague that my team meetings were not as efficient as they could be, which was affecting our project timelines.

Task: My task was to improve the efficiency of these meetings to ensure that the project stayed on track and was completed on time.

Action: I took the feedback seriously and decided to act on it. First, I approached my colleague to understand their perspective better and asked for specific examples. Then, I reviewed the meeting agendas and realized that they were too broad, leading to lengthy discussions. I streamlined the agendas to focus only on critical issues and allocated specific time slots for each discussion point. Additionally, I introduced a 'parking lot' section to defer unrelated topics for later discussion.

Result: These changes significantly improved the efficiency of our meetings. We were able to cover all necessary topics within the scheduled time and made quicker decisions. This not only helped in keeping the project on schedule but also improved team morale, as everyone felt their time was better respected. My colleague noticed the improvement and acknowledged the positive change, which reinforced the importance of being open to constructive feedback.