Tell me about a problem you saw coming and dealt with before anyone else felt it. What tipped you off?
Why this works
Prevention stories are rare in rehearsed repertoires — most candidates only have fires they fought after ignition. Asking for the tip-off tests whether they actually watch for trouble, and the best answers include the awkward work of selling a risk nobody else can see yet.
Follow-up probes
- What did acting early cost you — time, attention, goodwill?
- How did you make a problem nobody felt yet real to others?
- What would it have cost if you'd waited?
What good looks like
A specific early signal named, a response proportionate to the risk, and evidence they surfaced it to someone — a prevented problem that stayed secret is indistinguishable from no problem at all.
Red flags
The problem was already burning when they stepped in, the save can't be tied to any observable signal or outcome, or every story casts them as the only person who ever sees these things coming.
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