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Nike Mock Interview

Question 20 of 35 for our Nike Mock Interview

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Question 20 of 35

Tell me about a time you had to give difficult feedback to a member of your team who was more senior to you.

"I worked with a supervisor who was known to make preliminary assumptions and run with them, even though their information gathering was incomplete. Frequently, they would realize their mistakes later on, but would never apologize. We all theorized they were embarrassed and instead tried to hold on to their position of authority by being 'tough'. But it was a growth opportunity that everyone was aware of, and that their approach wasn't helping their situation. So, when I was proofing someone else's work where they cross-referenced this supervisor's findings, I spotted a discrepancy from the original source material. So I walked up to this supervisor and told them as I was going about Chris' work, I discovered this discrepancy. They immediately stood up and started marching over to Chris' desk before I could get another word in. Half way through giving them somewhat public feedback in front of the team, I was able to interrupt and get them to listen, and explained the mistake was their own. They did a double take and turned beet red. Everyone was watching. In this instance, they publically apologized to Chris, who shrugged and said they were used to it. Then everyone chimed in, saying that everyone had acclimated to this ineffective approach, and no longer took it seriously. Another supervisor then pulled them aside, and we didn't run into this problem ever again. It's unfortunate that they embarrassed themself in this way. My goal was to discreetly bring this discrepancy to their attention, and to explain that I wanted to avoid this very situation from happening again. But they undermined my effort. In fact, this probably had more of an impact."

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How to Answer: Tell me about a time you had to give difficult feedback to a member of your team who was more senior to you.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Nike job interview.

  • 20. Tell me about a time you had to give difficult feedback to a member of your team who was more senior to you.

      What You Need to Know

      This assesses how well you work with those in positions of authority, how skilled a communicator you are, as well as your emotional intelligence. Showcase your desire to support every member of your team, including your leaders, with the goal of working together for the greater benefit. This can be considered managing up, so you want to make sure your motives are clear, while effectively balancing your respect for the chain of command. Regardless of your relationship with your superiors, there may be occasions where you won't see eye to eye. This is a test of your leadership skills. It exhibits a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone for the benefit of the team. Respond respectfully. Objectify the situation, not the individual you respectfully disagreed with. Avoid examples which resulted in tension or increased conflict.

      Written by Kevin Downey on July 20th, 2022

      Answer Example

      "I worked with a supervisor who was known to make preliminary assumptions and run with them, even though their information gathering was incomplete. Frequently, they would realize their mistakes later on, but would never apologize. We all theorized they were embarrassed and instead tried to hold on to their position of authority by being 'tough'. But it was a growth opportunity that everyone was aware of, and that their approach wasn't helping their situation. So, when I was proofing someone else's work where they cross-referenced this supervisor's findings, I spotted a discrepancy from the original source material. So I walked up to this supervisor and told them as I was going about Chris' work, I discovered this discrepancy. They immediately stood up and started marching over to Chris' desk before I could get another word in. Half way through giving them somewhat public feedback in front of the team, I was able to interrupt and get them to listen, and explained the mistake was their own. They did a double take and turned beet red. Everyone was watching. In this instance, they publically apologized to Chris, who shrugged and said they were used to it. Then everyone chimed in, saying that everyone had acclimated to this ineffective approach, and no longer took it seriously. Another supervisor then pulled them aside, and we didn't run into this problem ever again. It's unfortunate that they embarrassed themself in this way. My goal was to discreetly bring this discrepancy to their attention, and to explain that I wanted to avoid this very situation from happening again. But they undermined my effort. In fact, this probably had more of an impact."

      Written by Kevin Downey on July 20th, 2022

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