Behavioral: Collaborating Across Clashing Priorities and Working Styles

Describe a collaboration with a colleague or partner who cared about different things than you did, or who went about the work in a very different way. How did you handle the differences, and how did the work turn out? ```hint Separate the two kinds of difference Decide whether the gap was about what each of you was trying to achieve or about how each of you liked to work, since the fix differs, and be ready to explain why their approach made sense from where they sat. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the other person be a peer in another function, such as engineering, design or sales, or is a manager or a customer also acceptable? - Does the story need to end with the difference resolved, or is one where you agreed to disagree but still delivered acceptable? - Is the interviewer more interested in a clash of goals, such as speed versus quality, or a clash of style, such as written planning versus quick verbal decisions? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A specific person and shared goal, with the difference described concretely and fairly - A diagnosis of whether the friction came from priorities, incentives or working style, with actions matched to that cause - Changes the candidate made to their own way of working, not only requests that the other person change - The outcome for the work and for the relationship, with evidence - A lesson the candidate now applies at the start of collaborations with people who work differently ### Follow-up Questions - What would you have done if the other person refused to compromise and the deadline could not move? - Looking back, which of your own habits made the collaboration harder? - How do you think the other person would describe working with you on that project?