Describe Your Most Challenging Professional Relationship.

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At the request of senior management, I served as an internal consultant for a project that investigated employee performance and morale in a troubled division. During the first meeting that I tried to facilitate, the team leader dominated the discussion and tried to impose his views on the rest of the group. I quickly realized that he resisted the project because he was a primary part of the problem. Rather than support my efforts to encourage discussion and reach a consensus, he opposed to any solution that might include a reorganization or leadership change in his division. After the first meeting, he invited me to lunch to discuss the project. When I raised my concerns, he said, "Don't worry, I will make this project easy for you." To my surprise, he asked me to ignore the project plan that his boss had proposed and agree to his predetermined solution. In his mind, the existing problems were exaggerated and not worth major changes in the division. He asked me to direct the team toward his agenda of maintaining the status quo, which would avoid exposing any unnecessary problems to upper management. In fact, he already had a plan in mind that would address several minor problems. His suggestion was a direct violation of my cultural and religious beliefs, which support integrity, freedom and equality. As the facilitator, it was my responsibility to solve the problem to the satisfaction of the entire team, not just the team leader. Sadly, this man expected me to violate my own ethical principles to further his own agenda. At first, I politely explained that we both had an obligation to promote the company's values. His idea was risky and could have a negative impact on employee morale. When he refused to abandon his plan, I advised him that I simply could not support him. Changes in the division would be determined by group consensus, not by one person's opinion.

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