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American Red Cross Mock Interview

Question 26 of 34 for our American Red Cross Mock Interview

American Red Cross was updated by on February 28th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 26 of 34

Have you ever had to express disagreement with a suggestion from a board member, chairperson, or an organizational leader?

Disagreement is an important part of analyzing the feasibility and wisdom of implementing new ideas. Being able to broach disagreement honestly and constructively is key to progressing an idea from a concept to something actionable in the workplace. People are often reticent to disagree with someone in leadership, particularly a board member or chairperson. However, being able to respectfully disagree in the name of advancing the organization's mission will reveal your dedication to the cause as well as your own leadership skills.

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How to Answer: Have you ever had to express disagreement with a suggestion from a board member, chairperson, or an organizational leader?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an American Red Cross job interview.

  • 26. Have you ever had to express disagreement with a suggestion from a board member, chairperson, or an organizational leader?

      What You Need to Know

      Disagreement is an important part of analyzing the feasibility and wisdom of implementing new ideas. Being able to broach disagreement honestly and constructively is key to progressing an idea from a concept to something actionable in the workplace. People are often reticent to disagree with someone in leadership, particularly a board member or chairperson. However, being able to respectfully disagree in the name of advancing the organization's mission will reveal your dedication to the cause as well as your own leadership skills.

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on February 28th, 2022

      How to Answer

      Do not refer to leadership negatively. Instead, explain why you disagreed with the idea and clearly outline your suggestions or alternatives for improving it. Talk about how you are also open to constructive feedback and actively engage other ideas to improve on your own.

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on February 28th, 2022

      1st Answer Example

      "Following the economic recession, our program saw an influx in requests for rent and utility payment assistance. Since we only have three dedicated staff for this program, the requests started to overwhelm us, and we started to fall behind. I knew this meant that some families might be living without electricity in their homes, so I asked my supervisor if our entire department could meet with the board of directors to express our concerns. At the meeting, one of the board members recommended reviewing qualifications for the program and developing a more restrictive assessment process. I thanked the board member for their idea and consideration of staff time; I also shared that I felt we should attempt to find a way to stretch our resources in order to serve more people.

      Due to the economic difficulties of the time, the board allowed us to access the endowment for emergency funds to be used to help with rent and utility payments for people in need. The volunteer recruitment team was able to find a qualified volunteer with social work experience to support our increased caseload, so we were able to offer assistance to every family that came to us in need."

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on February 28th, 2022

      2nd Answer Example

      "I was lucky enough in my previous position to work with a CEO who maintained an open-door office policy and truly followed through with it. She always encouraged us to stop by and share any concerns or ideas any time she was in her office, and she took those ideas and shared them with board members and other members of leadership to see what made the most sense for the organization. Following our semiannual all-staff meeting, I decided to visit her office to share some thoughts I had about my involvement in the five-year strategic plan. As I examined the details of the plan, I realized that many of my assignments hinged on me as a person rather than my position as operations manager.

      In our meeting, I respectfully expressed my concern that mentioning me by name rather than position would ultimately harm the strategic plan because it did not account for staff turnover or unexpected changes along the way. While I was proud that she had so much faith in me, I wanted to ensure the organization developed a plan that sustained itself as effectively as possible. As a result, I worked with the CEO to make the necessary updates and set about developing an operations manager handbook in case someone else one day took over my position."

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on February 28th, 2022