Tell me about an error or mistake you made because of a breakdown in communication from you or one of your team members.
On occasion, mistakes will happen, and communication will break down. Talk to the interviewer about a time where this occurred, and your approach towards resolving the situation. Whatever the inciting event, display your ability to quickly adapt to the situation and not be governed by your stress. What steps did you take to quickly correct the mistake? Highlight your resourcefulness, the strong communication skills employed, without painting yourself or others, in a less than favorable light.
"I recall one instance where I misread an email from one of my subordinates. The punctuation was incorrect and I read it in a dire tone rather than in a positive one, as it was intended. After a tense conversation, the employee clarified her intention and it seems I was mistaken. She and I agreed to exercise verbal communication on a regular basis to avoid a similar situation from happening again."
"I had a manager text me one time about a client who was not happy with the results of my work. I was really upset, because I try my best at all times, and felt that the conversation would have been better delivered to me in-person. The next day, I approached the manager and requested that future communication of that nature be conducted in person, versus text message. I did apologize for my initially defensive reaction."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I had an instance where I misread an email from one of my team members. I thought she was giving pushback to instructions I had just provided. After our tense conversation, she clarified her response & I found myself mistaken. She & I agreed to exercise clear written communication to avoid a similar situation from happening again.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is an important lesson to learn, and it's easy to misread the tone in an email. It's wonderful that you two worked out your issue. In the end, did communication improve between the two of you?
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