What do you do when you are working on a team and one member is not pulling their weight?

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Answer Example

This question is asked to understand how you communicate with team members, gauge your problem-solving skills, and determine if you have natural leadership skills. The best way to answer is to use a real-life example from work (preferably) or school. Describe the situation, how you started a conversation with your teammate, and how you contributed to resolving the problem.

"In my last position, I was the team lead on a project suffering major setbacks due to the client's lack of funding. One of the team members stopped pulling her weight, which was unusual. I asked if we could speak privately and politely pointed out that I noticed she had stopped contributing to the team. My coworker explained that she was discouraged and unmotivated to proceed because she felt the client did not appreciate her creativity. I explained that the client was pleased with the entire team's work, but their stakeholder stopped releasing funds, so the project was put on hold. Once I assured her that her work was appreciated, she began pulling her weight again."

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How to Answer: What do you do when you are working on a team and one member is not pulling their weight?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Cleveland Clinic job interview.

3. What do you do when you are working on a team and one member is not pulling their weight?

Focus Your Answer On

This question is asked to understand how you communicate with team members, gauge your problem-solving skills, and determine if you have natural leadership skills. The best way to answer is to use a real-life example from work (preferably) or school. Describe the situation, how you started a conversation with your teammate, and how you contributed to resolving the problem.

Written by Krista Wenz on April 29th, 2023

Answer Example

"In my last position, I was the team lead on a project suffering major setbacks due to the client's lack of funding. One of the team members stopped pulling her weight, which was unusual. I asked if we could speak privately and politely pointed out that I noticed she had stopped contributing to the team. My coworker explained that she was discouraged and unmotivated to proceed because she felt the client did not appreciate her creativity. I explained that the client was pleased with the entire team's work, but their stakeholder stopped releasing funds, so the project was put on hold. Once I assured her that her work was appreciated, she began pulling her weight again."

Written by Krista Wenz on April 29th, 2023

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