Handling Conflict with a Coworker and with a Manager When You Were Wrong

Two related behavioral prompts about conflict were reported from a Google software engineering interview loop at the mid level. Answer each one with a different real story from your own work. ### Clarifying Questions - Does a strong technical disagreement count as conflict, or are you looking for interpersonal friction? - For the manager story, should being wrong mean my position was wrong on the merits, or can it mean the way I handled the disagreement was wrong? - Is it fine if the coworker in the first story was outside engineering, such as a product manager or designer? ### Part 1 — A conflict at work Describe a conflict or serious disagreement you had with someone you worked with. What was it about, how did you handle it, and how did it end, both for the work and for your relationship with that person? ```hint Make the other side credible Explain the other person's position well enough that a listener understands why a reasonable colleague held it. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - What the disagreement was about and why it mattered to the work - The steps taken to understand the other view and reach a resolution, including whether and how anyone else was brought in - The outcome for the project and the state of the working relationship afterward ### Part 2 — A conflict with your manager in which you were wrong Describe a time you disagreed with your manager and it later became clear that you were the one who was mistaken. How did you raise the disagreement, how did you find out you were wrong, and what did you do once you knew? ```hint Own the error The interest is in what you did after you knew. Pick a case where the mistake was clearly yours and the lesson is specific. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - How the disagreement was raised: setting, reasoning and tone - How the candidate behaved after the decision and what evidence showed the error - The acknowledgement, any repair, and how the candidate's judgment changed ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Disagreements with real stakes, not matters of taste - Focus on the problem rather than the person, with curiosity about the other side's reasons - Resolution grounded in evidence and shared goals, with escalation used deliberately - Accountability and self-awareness without excessive self-criticism - Two distinct stories, each ending with a concrete outcome and lesson ### Follow-up Questions - What would you have done if your manager had overruled you and you still believed you were right? - How do you disagree with someone more senior when other people are in the room? - Looking back at the first story, should you have escalated sooner, later, or not at all? - How has the second experience changed the way you hold and voice strong opinions?