Pivoting Midway After Evidence Showed the Original Goal Was Wrong

Describe a time when you were partway toward a goal and realized the goal itself might be the wrong one, so you changed direction. Explain what you noticed, how you decided to pivot, how you brought others along, and what happened as a result. ```hint Wrong goal, not hard goal Interviewers want to see that you could tell a goal that was wrong from one that was simply difficult. Be specific about the evidence that changed your mind, how you checked it before acting, and what the new goal was. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the goal be a product or business target, such as a metric or a launch, or can it be a team or process goal? - Do I need to be the one who spotted the problem and proposed the pivot, or can the story be about helping carry out someone else's decision? - Is it acceptable if the new direction turned out only partly right, as long as I explain what happened? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The original goal, why it was reasonable when it was set, and how far the work had progressed when doubts arose. - The specific evidence that the goal, not the execution, was wrong, and how it was checked before acting. - The decision itself: the options weighed (continue, adjust, stop), the cost of switching, resisting sunk-cost thinking, and what work was salvaged. - How the candidate won over the goal's owner and the team and set a new, measurable target. - The measured outcome, and what the candidate now does to catch a wrong goal earlier. ### Follow-up Questions - What would most likely have happened if you had finished the original goal anyway? - How did you persuade the person who set the original goal, and what was their first reaction? - What checkpoints do you now build into projects so a wrong goal surfaces sooner?