Interview guide
Difficulty Working With Others: Manager Interview Example Answers (2026)
How to answer 'difficulty working with someone' in manager interviews with STAR examples, common mistakes, and AI practice.
The interview question tell me about a time you had difficulty working with someone is one of the most common behavioral questions for manager and team lead roles, and it trips up candidates who answer with blame instead of problem-solving. Employers ask this question because managers spend a significant portion of their time navigating interpersonal conflicts, aligning different working styles, and resolving cross-functional disagreements. According to a 2026 LinkedIn Workplace Report, 71 percent of hiring managers rank conflict resolution as a top-five competency for leadership roles, yet only 38 percent of candidates provide a structured answer. The STAR method gives you a repeatable structure for this question: describe a specific situation, your task, the action you took to resolve the difficulty, and the result. This guide provides three full STAR example answers for manager interviews, the most common mistakes to avoid, and a preparation strategy you can follow in one day. For more manager interview questions, see our manager interview questions guide.
Quick Answer
- Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result — spend the most time on Action
- Never blame the other person: frame the difficulty as a style difference or process gap you resolved
- Choose a story with a positive outcome where you took initiative to bridge the gap
- Keep it under 90 seconds: 15s situation, 10s task, 30s action, 15s result
- Do not name the person: refer to them by role only (a colleague, a team member)
| Scenario | What It Tests | Key Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Different working style | Adaptability, compromise | You proposed a hybrid approach |
| Missed deadlines | Direct communication, empathy | You asked what was blocking them |
| Approach disagreement | Open-mindedness, negotiation | You listened to their reasoning first |
Three STAR example answers for manager interviews
Example 1: Colleague with a different working style
Situation: On a cross-functional product launch, my colleague preferred detailed written documentation while I preferred quick stand-up updates. Task: We needed to align on a shared timeline without either person feeling forced into the other's style. Action: I proposed a hybrid approach: a 10-minute daily stand-up for quick alignment plus a shared doc for detailed decisions. I also asked to understand their preference, which revealed they needed written records for their team's compliance requirements. Result: We delivered the launch on time, both teams had the documentation they needed, and we adopted the hybrid model for future cross-functional projects.
Example 2: Team member who missed deadlines
Situation: A team member on my project consistently delivered work 2 to 3 days late, which delayed my dependent tasks. Task: I needed to address the issue without damaging the working relationship or escalating prematurely. Action: I scheduled a private one-on-one, asked what was blocking them, and discovered they were overloaded with three concurrent projects. I proposed reprioritizing with their manager and adjusted our timeline to give them a realistic buffer. Result: Their deliverables arrived on time for the next three sprints, our project stayed on schedule, and the team member thanked me for addressing it directly rather than escalating.
Example 3: Cross-functional partner who disagreed with your approach
Situation: The engineering lead on a migration project disagreed with my proposed rollout sequence and wanted a big-bang approach. Task: I needed to resolve the disagreement without delaying the project or undermining their expertise. Action: I asked them to walk me through their reasoning, which revealed valid concerns about incremental rollback complexity. I proposed a middle ground: a phased rollout with a rollback plan for each phase. Result: The phased approach was approved by leadership, the migration completed without incident, and the engineering lead became a strong collaborator on subsequent projects.
Common mistakes to avoid
Blaming the other person
Saying your colleague was lazy, incompetent, or difficult makes you look defensive. Frame the difficulty as a difference in working styles or a process gap that you took initiative to resolve.
Choosing a story with no resolution
If the conflict was never resolved or you escalated to HR, the story shows poor conflict resolution skills. Choose a story where you actively improved the situation.
Talking too long without a result
Many candidates spend 2 minutes on the situation and forget the result. Always end with the outcome: the project succeeded, the relationship improved, or you learned a new approach.
Naming the person
Never name the colleague. Refer to them by role only. Naming someone, even positively, can seem unprofessional and raises confidentiality concerns.
How to choose the right story
The right story for this question has four characteristics. First, it involves a real working style difference or process gap, not a personality clash. Second, you took initiative to resolve it rather than waiting for someone else to act. Third, the outcome was positive: the project succeeded, the relationship improved, or a new process was adopted. Fourth, the story is recent, ideally from the last 12 months, so it reflects your current skill level. Avoid stories where the conflict was never resolved, where you escalated to HR, or where the other person was fired. The interviewer wants to see your conflict resolution skills, not your ability to diagnose a colleague's flaws. Prepare 2 to 3 stories before the interview so you can choose the best one for the specific question asked.
Practice with AI before your interview
AI practice tools like Uhired AI at $9.99 per month can simulate a manager interview by generating behavioral questions based on your resume, listening to your spoken answers, and scoring your STAR structure in real time. This is more effective than practicing alone because the AI can ask follow-up questions that a real interviewer would ask, such as what you would do differently next time or how you would handle a similar situation with a remote team. A 2025 Glassdoor study found that candidates who practiced with AI tools scored 34 percent higher in interview evaluations. For a full list of manager interview questions, see our manager interview questions guide covering 25-plus questions with sample answers.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer summary |
|---|---|
| How do you answer 'Tell me about a time you had difficulty working with someone'? | Use the STAR method. Situation: describe a specific project where you and a colleague had conflicting approaches. Task: explain your responsibility and why collaboration was necessary. Action: describe what you did to bridge the gap, such as scheduling a one-on-one, listening to their perspective, finding common ground, or proposing a compromise. Result: share the outcome, such as the project was delivered on time, the relationship improved, or you learned a new approach to collaboration. Keep the answer under 90 seconds and focus on your role in resolving the difficulty, not on blaming the other person. |
| What is the biggest mistake when answering this question? | The biggest mistake is blaming the other person or painting yourself as the victim. Saying your colleague was lazy, incompetent, or difficult to work with makes you look defensive and unprofessional. Instead, frame the difficulty as a difference in working styles, a miscommunication, or a process gap that you took initiative to resolve. Employers want to see emotional intelligence, accountability, and problem-solving, not blame. Choose a story where you actively improved the situation rather than one where you simply endured a bad colleague. |
| What if I have never had difficulty working with someone? | It is unlikely you have never experienced any workplace friction, but if you are early in your career, use a example from a group project, volunteer work, or a sports team. The interviewer is testing your ability to navigate interpersonal challenges, not the setting. If you genuinely cannot think of an example, describe a time when you anticipated a potential conflict and proactively prevented it. This shows the same skills the question is testing: awareness, communication, and initiative. |
| Should I mention the person's name or role? | Never name the person. Refer to them by role only, such as a colleague, a team member, or a cross-functional partner. Naming someone, even positively, can seem unprofessional and raises concerns about confidentiality. Focus on the working style difference or the process issue, not on the individual personality. The interviewer is evaluating your conflict resolution skills, not your ability to diagnose a colleague's flaws. |
| How long should my answer be? | Keep your answer between 60 and 90 seconds. Spend about 15 seconds on the situation, 10 seconds on the task, 30 seconds on the action, and 15 seconds on the result. The action is the most important part because it shows what you did to resolve the difficulty. Practice timing yourself aloud before the interview. If your answer runs over 2 minutes, trim the situation description and focus on your actions. |
| What are good examples of difficulty working with others for a manager interview? | Strong examples include: a team member who consistently missed deadlines affecting your deliverables, a cross-functional partner who disagreed with your project approach, a colleague with a radically different communication style, a stakeholder who changed requirements mid-project, or a team member who resisted a new process you were implementing. Choose an example where you took initiative to resolve the situation and the outcome was positive. Avoid examples where the conflict was never resolved or where you escalated to HR. |
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