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Behavioralstandard
Tell me about a time you said no to a stakeholder.
How to approach it
Show that your no was grounded in the team's goals and evidence, and that you offered the stakeholder another way to get what they actually needed.
How a strong answer opens
“Our head of enterprise sales asked mid-quarter for a custom report for one large customer. I said no, and offered a smaller version that met the customer's real need.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- The request, who made it, and the pressure behind it
- Why it did not fit this quarter's goal, with the cost in numbers or time
- How you found the need underneath the request
- How you said no in person, before it reached a public roadmap review
- The alternative you offered, such as a smaller version or a later slot
- How the relationship looked a month later
Where this question usually goes wrong
Telling a story where you simply refused, with no reasoning tied to goals and no alternative for the stakeholder.
Learn the method
Conflict and disagreement in Module 4, Behavioral and leadership.
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More behavioral questions
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with an engineer about how to build something.
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager and turned out to be wrong.
- Describe a conflict between two teammates that you helped resolve.
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult stakeholder.
- Tell me about yourself.