Behavioral: Navigating Friction With Someone Who Was Hard to Work With

Describe a time you had to work with someone who was difficult to deal with. What made it hard, what did you do, and how did it turn out? ```hint Look behind the behavior Before describing what you did, be ready to explain what you learned about the pressures or concerns behind the other person's behavior, and how that changed your approach. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the person be a peer on my team, such as an engineer or designer, or can it be a stakeholder in another team, a partner or a customer? - Does it need to be a situation I resolved, or is one where the relationship stayed difficult acceptable if I can show what I did? - Is a story from before my product roles acceptable? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The person's specific, observable behavior and its effect on the work, described without labeling them - An effort to understand the other person's incentives, pressures or concerns - The concrete actions taken, in private and in group settings, and why each was chosen - A result covering both the work outcome and the relationship - Reflection on the candidate's own contribution to the friction and what they do differently now ### Follow-up Questions - What part of the friction, if any, did you contribute to? - If your approach had not worked, what would your next step have been, and when would you involve their manager or yours? - How do you tell a difficult person apart from a reasonable person working under different incentives?