Talk about a time you disagreed with a decision made by your manager or supervisor. How did you address this situation?

"Part of my role working with a private foundation is to read grant proposals and choose a finalist group that followed the proposal guidelines and closely aligned with our foundation's mission to fund organizations addressing mental health issues. There are several mental health-focused nonprofits in our city, so my supervisor wanted me to focus on the ones addressing men's mental health issues. However, the vision of our founder explicitly stated his desire to improve the lives of children dealing with these kinds of struggles. I requested a private meeting with my supervisor and politely shared my belief that letting the mission and vision guide our selections would give our foundation clear direction and allow us to share legitimate reasons for any proposal rejections. My supervisor agreed with this, and I was able to filter for children's groups."

"Every year, my organization hosts an inter-faith gathering that brings together faith leaders and religiously-affiliated agencies from around the city to discuss their community work and engage in thoughtful discussions about how to properly address increasing violent crime. My manager was responsible for procuring panelists for a conversation about oversight for local law enforcement and had selected individuals primarily representing the Protestant Christian faith. During a planning session, I respectively voiced my suggestion that we include Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, and other representatives to accurately reflect the demographics of our city as well as our supporters. My manager liked this idea, and I met with him privately later to share some specific suggestions for individuals I knew who might like to be involved with this event."

Avoid negativity when answering this question. Simply explain the steps you took to bring your disagreement to your manager or supervisor's attention. Then, share how your manager or supervisor reacted and how you worked together to address the situation.