"I was part of a team. We divided our team into three sections. Somehow, things got off track, and it turned into a not-so-friendly competition to see who could outperform each other. This hampered the group's progress and created friction within the team. I encouraged the team to work side by side instead. This way, everyone got to work closely with each teammate. This fostered our teamwork mentality and resulted in us over-performing as a group, turning our project around."

"Our manager left our office to pursue an opportunity with another company. We were under tight deadlines for multiple projects, and the hired replacement manager came in with a chip on their shoulder and a big ego. Their approach to the team was authoritarian and slowed down productivity as these deadlines loomed. Several team members whispered about stepping outside the chain of command and reporting this supervisor to upper management, but I felt like this would just make things worse. I asked if I could talk to this new supervisor and gave them a heads up on the dissent they were facing. They confessed the role intimidated them and that another supervisor advised them to take this approach, but it wasn't in their nature. By explaining what motivates the team and the soft skills needed to communicate with each of them, I was able to steer them on course. The extra efforts they made from there helped, and they turned out to be an even more popular manager than their predecessor, and we all met our deadlines."