Tell me about a change you had to carry to your team knowing they wouldn't welcome it. How did you bring people along?
Why this works
Leading change isn't announcing it — resistance to a decision people didn't make is the default, and managing it can't be answered with change-management vocabulary alone. The signal is whether objections got engaged or waved off, and whether anything in the rollout actually moved in response while the destination held.
Follow-up probes
- What was the loudest objection, and what did you do with it?
- What did you adjust in response — and what stayed non-negotiable?
- Who came around last, and what finally moved them?
What good looks like
The strongest objection stated fairly and answered on its merits, something real adjusted in response to feedback, the core decision held without apology, and the team observably working the new way — not just no longer complaining.
Red flags
Compliance mistaken for buy-in, resistance explained away as people fearing change, or the candidate distancing themselves from the decision — "I told them it came from above" — to stay liked.
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