How do you handle saying no to stakeholders?

In this question, the interviewer seeks to understand how you’ve dealt with difficult situations in your work history, and how you might handle them if they arise in your new role. They want to see how you've balanced the need to push back or disagree with stakeholders, with maintaining positive, productive relationships. The key points to answer this question are:

1. A demonstration of your ability to communicate effectively.
2. Evidence that you can steer the conversation towards a constructive resolution that suits everyone involved.
3. An assurance that you can handle disagreement professionally and courteously, and also stand your ground when necessary.

It's crucial to provide a real-life example from your previous professional experiences to back up your statement.

In my current role as a project manager, I was tasked with a project that had a very demanding timeline as requested by the stakeholder. It was very clear to me and my team that it would be impossible to deliver quality work within the allocated period. I requested for a meeting with the stakeholder to discuss my concerns. I presented the project's objective and outlined a realistic timeline, explaining why the initial timeline was unfeasible. I also showcased our strategy and the steps we would take to meet the expectations. Although the stakeholder was initially disappointed, they appreciated my honesty and transparency about the situation. They agreed to extend the deadline, allowing us to deliver a successful project. Here, we were able to manage the situation by being transparent, considering the stakeholder's needs, and coming up with an effective solution that worked for everyone.

When I worked as a product manager in my previous job, we often received feature requests from stakeholders that were out of scope or didn't align with our roadmap. In such cases, I would always ensure to validate their ideas by asking how they thought their suggestion would add value to the product or business. If it didn't align with our strategic goals, I had to say 'no'. I would then explain the reasons, referencing data and customer feedback where possible to support my argument. I made sure they understood that my decisions weren't personal but were always in the best interest of the product and users. Over time, stakeholders grew to respect this approach, as they knew that when I said 'no', there was a strategic thought process behind the decision.