Question: Tell me about a time you had to deal with a team member who constantly opposed your ideas. How did you handle it?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with someone who continually disagreed with you. How did you deal with this person?
Describe a time when a coworker was kept disagreeing with your ideas in a meeting. How did you deal with the situation?

Follow-up questions:

Was that an effective strategy?
What happened in the end?
What was the cause of their behavior?
Was it the outcome you were hoping for?
What were you trying to achieve while dealing with this?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Social – Negotiation,Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others,Social – Social Perceptiveness

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Agreeableness,Big 5 – Neuroticism (Emotion Regulation),Personality-Team Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management)

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Conflict Situations,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Assertiveness/Courage,Cooperation,Self Control,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

Look for personal experience in dealing with difficult or even unreasonable people.

Red Flags to Watch For:

A red flag is if the interviewee could not control their temper, succumbed to the pressure of a disagreeable person, or could not resolve the situation.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown