McKinsey & Company Mock Interview
Master 35 McKinsey interview questions covering case studies, problem-solving, and fit assessments.
Question 15 of 35
How do you react when your team misses a deadline?
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Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Missed deadlines are never good and can reflect poorly on you, but they happen. However, this question focuses on how you react to disappointment when things don't go according to plan. Your answer will inform them of your emotional maturity, what you learn from your setbacks, and how you implement those lessons into action and hold yourself accountable. Give an example of a time your team missed a deadline. Walk the interviewer through your response and how you prevented yourself from making the same mistake again.
Kimberly is a freelance writer and editor with a decade of experience in the education field, including her time as a pre-kindergarten teacher.
"My team is highly efficient, and we rarely miss a deadline. When we do, it's surprising. Last year, we had a very challenging client who made significant changes throughout the project. These changes caused us to miss our deadline. I took action after that to ensure a better client onboarding process. This new process helped us dig deeper with each client at the start, which has resulted in fewer mid-project changes."
Kimberly is a freelance writer and editor with a decade of experience in the education field, including her time as a pre-kindergarten teacher.
"When my team misses a deadline, it is disappointing. On the odd occasion that this has happened, I first ask my team for feedback. I want to know what I could have done better as a leader to ensure we hit our goal. Then, I ask them to look internally and tell me what they honestly feel they could have done differently. I prefer a collaborative approach to these types of conversations."
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