Tell me about a time you disagreed with a leader.

What You Need to Know
Entry Level Example
Experienced Example

This question addresses whether you embrace one of their leadership principles, "Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit," which states, "Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly." The key words here are "respectfully challenge." Convey your emotional intelligence, and describe how you approached respectfully disagreeing with your leaders. Make sure the example you choose ended amicably, where you respected the chain of command, and discuss what you learned from the experience.

"I recently volunteered for a project, but my supervisor gave the project to someone with less experience. I then asked to talk to them privately and debated that I should be given this project rather than Clifton. I suggested that Clifton had little experience, would take three times as long to get it done, and needed hand-holding along the way, spreading our staff even thinner. They retorted that, at one point, I had little experience but accrued that experience by being allowed to learn. They then said if I wanted to help and be a resource for Clifton to lean on, they would accept me as a volunteer. Humbled at that moment, I agreed, and Clifton and I became fast friends."

"Recently, a new directive came down from the top, and my department manager decided we needed to coordinate our staff to get the work done, but didn't want to tell them why. I disagreed and felt that explaining why it was just as important as explaining how they needed to perform the work to be done. So I argued this point. But my boss explained that without having management experience, there was no common point of reference for a solid understanding of the stakes involved. They explained that without that leadership experience, many of the staff would fill in the blanks with misinformation, sow dissent, and respond with fear that their jobs were in jeopardy, despite that not being the case. I hadn't considered this and asked for several case examples. They shared several where this had happened in the past, and I learned something new and followed their directive."

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How to Answer: Tell me about a time you disagreed with a leader.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Amazon job interview.

48. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a leader.

What You Need to Know

This question addresses whether you embrace one of their leadership principles, "Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit," which states, "Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly." The key words here are "respectfully challenge." Convey your emotional intelligence, and describe how you approached respectfully disagreeing with your leaders. Make sure the example you choose ended amicably, where you respected the chain of command, and discuss what you learned from the experience.

Written by Kevin Downey on January 25th, 2023

Entry Level Example

"I recently volunteered for a project, but my supervisor gave the project to someone with less experience. I then asked to talk to them privately and debated that I should be given this project rather than Clifton. I suggested that Clifton had little experience, would take three times as long to get it done, and needed hand-holding along the way, spreading our staff even thinner. They retorted that, at one point, I had little experience but accrued that experience by being allowed to learn. They then said if I wanted to help and be a resource for Clifton to lean on, they would accept me as a volunteer. Humbled at that moment, I agreed, and Clifton and I became fast friends."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 25th, 2023

Experienced Example

"Recently, a new directive came down from the top, and my department manager decided we needed to coordinate our staff to get the work done, but didn't want to tell them why. I disagreed and felt that explaining why it was just as important as explaining how they needed to perform the work to be done. So I argued this point. But my boss explained that without having management experience, there was no common point of reference for a solid understanding of the stakes involved. They explained that without that leadership experience, many of the staff would fill in the blanks with misinformation, sow dissent, and respond with fear that their jobs were in jeopardy, despite that not being the case. I hadn't considered this and asked for several case examples. They shared several where this had happened in the past, and I learned something new and followed their directive."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 25th, 2023

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