Tell me about a time you failed as a people manager

This question is geared towards understanding your ability to recognize your shortcomings and learn from past experiences. As a people manager, you are expected to foster relationships, manage conflicts, and inspire team members to reach their potential. However, anyone can slip up and as such, the interviewer wants to hear how you navigated a situation where you did not succeed in these areas. When answering, choose an instance where your failure had noticeable consequences but remember to emphasize how you learned and adapted from that failure.

Key points to consider while answering this question:

1. Describe the situation clearly:
2. Detail the action you took and why it didn't succeed.
3. Most importantly, explain what you learned from that experience and how you improved.

There was once a situation where our team had to deliver a project within a given deadline. The completion of this project would have brought in a crucial business deal for the company. To ensure we meet the deadline, I divided the workload among team members, failing to consider the different strengths of my team members. This fact combined with the high-pressure situation led to significant conflicts and mistakes, which eventually led to us to miss the deadline and lose the business deal. Afterwards, I took the time to reflect on my mistake and realized that I should have considered the unique skills of each member before assigning tasks. Since then, I've started to spend more time understanding my team members individually. I improved my allocation strategy by assigning tasks based on the strengths and capacities of the individual team members. It has significantly improved the performance and collaboration of the team.

In one of my initial management roles, I was leading a diverse team with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds. Trying to harmonize such a diverse team, I unintentionally suppressed differing opinions during meetings, hoping that this would avoid conflicts. However, this approach backfired. Team members felt unheard, which negatively impacted our team's morale and creativity. Recognizing this, I made efforts to change my approach. I started fostering an environment where every opinion was acknowledged and appreciated, and conflicts were seen as a way to reach more innovative solutions. I ensured regular one-on-one meetings with team members and encouraged open dialogue. Ultimately, this not only improved our team's morale but also enhanced our problem-solving capabilities.