"A while back, I managed a team of ten individuals within our client services department. I learned quickly that there was quite a bit of animosity on the team, particularly between two team members who did not get along. So I pulled these two aside to address their differences.

They both deflected and called my leadership abilities into question, suggesting it was my management style that was the cause of their discord. So I smiled, leaned forward, and tilted my head, opening my body language up and asked them what in particular I had contributed to this issue.

They stammered and suggested that I was to blame for pairing them together and suggested I am uncommunicative. I expressed that everyone else on the team prioritizes the needs of the team over personal preference and that the rest of the team works well together. I asked them if that was a reflection of my leadership as well, or if that was a reflection of each member of the team. I also pointed out that everyone else on the team was running ahead of the deadline and asked if I was responsible for that as well.

They then turned the focus of their negativity on each other, and I was successfully able to address the complaints they had about each other, which unsurprisingly was a result of their messy communication and coordination with each other. Once their communication was smoothed over, and things deescalated, I handled this challenging situation by meeting more regularly with them and continuing to build a foundation for them working well with each other.

I value open communication and am direct when addressing the root causes of conflicts. I do well at developing strategies to address them. I strategically create smaller teams within the overall team suited to their professional strengths. After a few months, the team was running much more smoothly, and those two individual developed a strong bond."

Demonstrate tolerance and empathy when faced with adversity, being receptive to feedback, with the aim of continuously developing yourself as a leader. "From directive to diplomatic: The notion of influencing without authority is crucial here; the newfound authority that comes with the job must be handled carefully, and persuasion skills honed. Leaders must also learn to deal with the various polarities and dilemmas, particularly in the form of conflict management and compromise."