Discuss a time when you disagreed with your boss. How did you find common ground?
Finding common ground with your boss, despite disagreeing with them, shows the interviewer that your desire to collaborate is stronger than your need to be correct. Overcoming disagreements with your boss also highlights your ability to problem-solve while facing a difference of opinion.
Even though you may have a great relationship with your boss, there might be times where you don't see eye to eye. Think of a conflict or disagreement you had with your boss where you responded professionally and worked toward a solution.
When asked a 'Discuss a time when...' question, it's important to remember that the interviewer is looking for a specific story-based example that highlights your behavior in challenging situations. Using the STAR interview method (an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result), you can form an easy-to-follow and engaging story-based response.
"(Situation) Last year, my Sales Director and I disagreed on the pending termination of one of my sales team members. (Task) As a Sales Manager, my philosophy is to ensure that I have trained and coached my team members to the best of my ability before I ever consider terminating them. (Action) I expressed my desire to the Sales Director to spend additional time training this team member. I mentioned that it would be more expensive to replace this person than invest in additional training. The Sales Director finally agreed that if the team member missed their targets for another 30 days, we would move forward with termination. After coming to a middle ground, I created a plan to spend five additional hours per week training this team member for three weeks. (Result) Remarkably, his performance improved by over 40%! This sales rep is still with us and often lands on the company's 'Top 10' list for sales performance. Despite having a difference of opinion, I chose to present my argument with facts rather than emotion. I believe this approach is why the Sales Director agreed to come to a compromise."
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 started running a project with a bank, but many of the staff were being disrespectful and rude, demanding that we do everything for them and add product capabilities before they would use it. Our CEO told me to always agree with them and promise to give them everything they asked for. He believed that amazing service and product would win their respect. While that approach made sense in the USA, Asian business culture works differently. I took the time to explain this to him, but he disagreed. with my recommendations I could see that we weren’t going to agree. So I agreed to disagree but to follow his instructions because it was his company and he was the boss. Sometimes his approach helped, but a year later he privately told me that I had been correct and that he wished he had listened to me.
Marcie's Feedback
So it sounds like you voiced your concerns but then eventually backed down and went with what he thought was best because he was the boss. You didn't really find a common ground with him, but it's clear why you acted the way you did. You expressed your concerns but also respected his position. If there's another example you can use that shows how you compromised, that might be better, but, if not, this is still a strong example especially given how you explain it. Good job!
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