How to Answer: How do you handle a conflict with your manager?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Ford Motor Company job interview.
17. How do you handle a conflict with your manager?
What You Need to Know
Your interviewer is curious if you've had any negative experiences with your past managers or with anyone in a professional position of authority. This will help them find out whether the authority figure was the problem employee or if you were. Even more so, they're curious what your attitude towards your example says about you, your professionalism, general attitude, accountability, and diplomacy. Your answer can also clue them into your leadership style.
Think of a time when you exercised self-control and patience. An ideal candidate will exhibit emotional maturity, objectivity, while focussing on the situation and what influenced it. Avoid making it seem personal. If you can, lean more towards experiences where a supervisor was struggling with their responsibilities, and had room for improvement. Managing up is definitely a thing! Sometimes you have to manage your supervisor by learning how to push back and challenge them in a supportive way. Think of examples that show how their behavior or lack of skills impacted the team in the workplace. Show that you are collaborative and easy going. Ford is looking for individuals with a strong work ethic and communication skills. Demonstrate your ability to see the opportunities and how you proactively work towards solutions.
Written by Kevin Downey on June 28th, 2022
Answer Example
"My manager asked me to take on too many projects, and I knew it was going to be too much for me. Instead of getting overly stressed and frustrated, I communicated that I was already at my max, but I still wanted to see how we could help each other out. We were able to support each other in our projects when went through and prioritized each one together."
Written by Elisabeth Walter
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