Describe a time you had to work with a difficult person.

• What was the situation? For example, were you working on a team project with a classmate who wasn't pulling their weight? Or perhaps you had a colleague who was constantly negative and bringing down the morale of the team?
• Who was the difficult person, and what made them difficult? Was it a personality clash? Did they have different work styles? Were they simply uncooperative or unwilling to compromise? Be specific about their behaviors and how they impacted you and the team.
• What actions did you take to address the situation? Did you try to communicate with the person directly? Did you involve a supervisor or mediator? Did you try to find common ground or compromise on solutions?
• What was the outcome? Were you able to resolve the conflict and improve the working relationship? If not, what were the consequences? What did you learn from the experience, and how would you handle a similar situation differently in the future?

Introduction

I'd like to share a situation where I had to collaborate with a colleague who had a significantly different communication style and approach to problem-solving. This occurred during my time at Google while working on a critical update to our ad serving infrastructure.

Situation

• I was part of a team responsible for migrating a core component of Google's ad serving system to a new infrastructure.
• We had a tight deadline and high expectations for a seamless transition to minimize disruptions to ad revenue.
• One of my teammates, let's call him Alex, was highly skilled but also very assertive and often dismissed others' ideas without fully considering them.
• Alex's communication style was direct and sometimes came across as aggressive, which made it challenging for other team members to voice their concerns or propose alternative solutions.

Task

• My primary task was to ensure the successful migration of our assigned component, which required close collaboration with Alex, who was responsible for another critical part of the system.
• The team's overall goal was to complete the migration within the given timeframe while maintaining system stability and performance.
• I also felt it was important to foster a more inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone felt comfortable contributing their ideas.

Action

• I decided to approach Alex directly to discuss his communication style and its impact on the team.
  • I chose a private and neutral setting for the conversation to minimize any defensiveness.
  • I used specific examples of situations where his communication style had been challenging.
  • I emphasized that my intention was to improve team collaboration and not to criticize him personally.
• I actively listened to Alex's perspective and tried to understand his concerns and motivations.
  • He explained that he was under a lot of pressure to meet the deadline and felt that being direct was the most efficient way to get things done.
  • I acknowledged his concerns and suggested that we could find ways to communicate more effectively without sacrificing efficiency.
• I proposed a few strategies to improve our collaboration, such as:
  • Establishing clear guidelines for communication, including active listening and respectful feedback.
  • Scheduling regular team meetings to discuss progress, address concerns, and brainstorm solutions.
  • Encouraging everyone to share their ideas and perspectives, even if they differed from Alex's.
• I also spoke with my manager to share my concerns and seek guidance on how to navigate the situation effectively.
  • My manager provided valuable insights and suggestions and offered to mediate if necessary.

Result

• Initially, Alex was somewhat resistant to changing his communication style.
• However, after several conversations and with the support of my manager, he began to make a conscious effort to be more open and receptive to others' ideas.
• The team meetings became more productive, and we were able to identify and resolve potential issues more quickly.
• As a result, we successfully completed the migration within the given timeframe and maintained system stability and performance.
• The team morale also improved significantly, and everyone felt more valued and respected.

Conclusion

This experience taught me the importance of effective communication and conflict resolution skills in a team setting. It highlighted the value of addressing difficult situations directly and proactively, while also being empathetic and understanding of others' perspectives. This experience has helped me grow as a software engineer, allowing me to better foster a collaborative and inclusive environment, and I now approach challenging conversations with more confidence and a greater focus on achieving positive outcomes for the entire team.