Handling a Difference of Opinion With the Person You Report To

Suppose you and your manager disagree about a decision. How would you handle it? ```hint Let the stakes shape the response Think about how your approach would differ for a minor preference, a costly but reversible call, and a decision you believe would cause real harm. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the disagreement about a product decision, such as scope or priority, or about how the team works, or may I choose? - Has my manager already made the decision, or is it still open for discussion? - Would you like a real example from my experience in addition to how I would approach it? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - How the candidate first understands the manager's reasoning and constraints before arguing their own view - How the case is made: evidence, framing around a shared goal, and the setting and timing for raising it - What the candidate does if the manager still disagrees after hearing the case, and how they choose between their options - How the response changes with the stakes, including a concern about ethics, legality or harm to users - A concrete example with an outcome, ideally one where the candidate learned something from the manager's view ### Follow-up Questions - Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager and they turned out to be right. How did you realize it? - You went along with your manager's decision and it is now clearly failing. What do you do? - When is it right to take a disagreement above your manager, and how would you do it without damaging the relationship?