Tell me about a decision you made that others disagreed with

Why interviewers ask this

This tests conviction under pushback — can you make a call, defend your reasoning, and still stay open to being wrong? It's different from the conflict-resolution question: here the focus is on decision-making under disagreement, not on repairing a relationship.

What a strong answer covers

• The decision itself, stated plainly, and who disagreed and why their view was reasonable (steelman the other side)
• Your actual reasoning — what data or principle drove the call, not just gut feeling
• What you did to bring dissenters along, or how you proceeded despite continued disagreement
• The outcome, including whether it validated the decision or taught you something for next time

Common pitfalls

• Picking a decision that was obviously correct in hindsight, which makes the "disagreement" sound unreasonable and doesn't show real judgment under uncertainty
• Failing to acknowledge that the disagreeing party had a legitimate point