Have you ever disagreed with your manager? What did you do?

Question

IT Interview Practice · Accepted Answer

They're checking that you can **push back respectfully** and **disagree-and-commit** — voice your view with reasoning, then support the final call. Avoid both extremes: silent compliance and stubborn defiance.

## How to approach it

```text
1. Raise the concern privately and early, with data not emotion
2. Frame it around shared goals ("I want this launch to succeed, and I'm worried
   about X")
3. Listen — your manager may have context you lack
4. If overruled, commit fully and follow through
```

## Worked example

```text
S: My manager wanted to ship a feature without a feature flag.
T: I felt the rollout was risky for new code.
A: I shared a one-paragraph risk note and suggested a flag as cheap insurance.
   She explained a deadline constraint I hadn't known.
R: We compromised: flag on the riskiest part only. It caught a bug in prod
   without a full rollback.
```

## Good vs weak

```text
✓ Respectful, evidence-based, private
✓ Commits after the decision
✗ Going over their head first
✗ "I just did what I was told" (shows no judgment)
```

## Why it matters

Managers want people who think, not just execute.

Reasoned pushback is a feature, not a problem.

Doing it privately and with data shows you respect the relationship and the decision process.

Committing after being overruled proves you're a team player, not a contrarian.

How to approach it

Worked example

Good vs weak

Why it matters

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