Describe a time when you received negative feedback in a professional setting.

Remember to demonstrate active listening skills and empathy in your response as appropriate. Additionally, select a scenario in which you were able to take clear action to resolve the situation.

"I was asked by my director to step in on a program of work that was perceived by the customers as a failure on the part of the development teams involved. The projects had a history of late delivery and conflict between the product owners and the business units they served.

I realized I was stepping into a mess, so my first step was to listen. I asked my new customers to be as open and honest as possible about the issues they felt needed to be resolved. I let them know I was prepared to be accountable for them even though I was new to the program work. I made it clear my goal was to understand the impact so that I could develop a solid strategy to move forward as quickly as possible.

My customers let me know they genuinely appreciated my not making excuses for the failures of the previous team. They needed to be heard and my listening to them with an open mind helped them to feel validated and clear the air going forward. I took the customer feedback back to the technology teams I was now assigned to work with. I was honest but offered the feedback in a constructive manner. We then held a brainstorming session to develop strategies for addressing the concerns and presented them to the customers.

The customers were excited about the changes but hesitant given the history of the program. It took some time, but we were able to regain their trust and confidence after several iterations of consistent delivery and commitment to not repeating the mistakes of the past."