Tell me about an idea you believed in that met real resistance. How did you bring people around — and what did you concede along the way?
Why this works
Persuasion stories are heavily rehearsed, so the weight sits on the resistance — what people actually objected to and what changed their minds. The concession clause separates influence from steamrolling: someone who gave up nothing usually won by rank or attrition, not persuasion.
Follow-up probes
- What was the strongest objection, and was it fair?
- Whose mind changed, and what actually changed it?
- What did the idea look like afterward, versus your original?
What good looks like
Objections stated fairly rather than caricatured, approach adjusted to specific people, a named concession that made the idea better, and support that held after the meeting ended.
Red flags
Resistance framed as others being slow to see the light, wearing people down described as winning them over, or a final idea identical to the first draft.
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