How do you manage conflict within your team?
As a leader, you must be able to manage conflict within your team. Conflict can arise for many reasons, such as a personal dislike for another team member, a colleague not pulling their weight, or team members not feeling they are being treated fairly. Whatever the reason, you must handle the conflict swiftly, privately, and professionally. If conflict is allowed to continue, it causes undue stress and low morale for the rest of the team. Describe how you manage conflict within your team to show the interviewers you have the leadership and conflict-management skills they are looking for.
"Fortunately, in the three years I have worked as an administrator, I have only had to manage conflict once among my team. I noticed the tension between two team members one morning. I didn't say anything initially because I figured they would work it out. But I realized I needed to intervene when it looked like they would come to blows in the break room. I calmly asked them what the problem was, and they said there was no problem. I asked to speak to them individually in my office and found out they were having personal issues involving one of their girlfriends. After speaking with them both, it was obvious they could not keep working together. I allowed one of the team members to use personal leave, and the other said he would transfer when an opening became available. I called HR and submitted a transfer request, which was granted two weeks later. After that, I never had conflict among team members."
