Tell us about a time you disagreed with a coworker. Describe the situation, your approach, and the outcome.
How you interpret and answer this question will help the assessment model classify your experience level as a novice, intermediate, or expert. Therefore you want your definition of a disagreement to not pertain to conflict but rather a difference of opinion. Consider this an opportunity to showcase your collaboration and adept communication skills, mediation, negotiation, and compromise.
When describing your example, detail your approach to employing every communication skill that will present you as an expert. Relay how you actively listened to what the other individual had to offer, the lengths you went to understand their perspective, and where they were coming from emotionally. Describe how you mirrored and validated what they had to offer and how you empathized with their position. Then detail the steps you took to achieve your mutual goals on behalf of the teams, workplace, or bigger picture. Be sure to mention how any aspect of this exchange led to any coaching or further developmental opportunities.
"(Situation) Last year, my Sales Director and I disagreed on the pending termination of one of my team members. (Task) As a manager, my philosophy is to ensure that I have trained and coached my team members to the best of my ability before I consider terminating them. (Action) I expressed my desire to spend additional time training this team member. I mentioned that it would be more costly for the company 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 team member is still with us and often lands on our divisions' monthly Top 10 list for client satisfaction and performance. Because I respectfully disagreed with the Sales Director and stated my case with facts rather than emotion, we were able to move past the disagreement with ease."
The assessment vendor will screen you for how well you communicate. So keep an ear out for any stutters, awkward pauses, or your use of any speech crutch words such as "uh," "like," "um," "you know," "so on and so forth," "and," "well," "but," "so," "ah," "er," and "Etcetera." Record your voice while answering some of these questions to identify your tics so you can better practice answering these questions without relying on such words. Also, pay close attention to your choice of words and what they might suggest beyond your intended meaning. Doing so will aid in presenting yourself as a clearer communicator and more of a professional.
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
One time when I worked in Stockholm, I noticed that our co-worker was insufficient and doesn't pull his weight. I decided to talk to him, but my team member said it was not our business. I am not conflictive, so I decided to use as good communication skills as possible to solve this issue. I explained that his nonproductiveness has an inappropriate effect on our work and project. Apart from this, maybe he has personal problems, which need to be solved. After hearing this, my colleague agreed with me. We decided that if our discussion wouldn't give any result, we we'll talk with our PM.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a good start as it demonstrates your ability to critically think and to work through conflict. You may also consider offering to coach or train that employee if they are underperforming because of a lack of skills.
Anonymous Answer
FQHC - the leadership team wanted to roll out a new IHA plan. It was presented in a way that made it seem like a simple transition that each site could handle. Communication with the teams was not clear. After the meeting, I talked to her about the challenges and pointed out a few details that needed to be considered - what will new workflows look like in EPIC, do we have a call list ID, who is scheduling, if virtual who will room for providers and sites, what is the time allotment for these assessments - stated that provider schedules are set, and this needed some details worked out for the plan to be successful. The outcome was that she called another meeting used the suggestions we discussed and had a more cohesive plan in place.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a good example to share! You avoided speaking negatively about the person but instead focused on the situation at hand and the challenges. You provided specific details to help the interviewer better understand the problem. In your response, you demonstrated professionalism and the ability to effectively communicate to solve problems to promote a successful outcome. Great job!
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