The toughest question is one that attempts to stress a negative. The questioner might be trying to embarrass, discredit or simply challenge you.
You might feel trapped because you want to tell the truth while not emphasising your flaws.
The most common use of this type of question is in a job interview, “Tell me about your weaknesses?” It’s a silly and lazy question. It demonstrates a lack of thought by the interviewer.
If you are asked this question, respond with, “If you’re asking me what skill I would like to improve at this time it is public speaking.”
Admit that you are a work in progress.
When asked about a project failure, quality control issue or missed deadline, break the question into two parts.
Say, “I hear two questions there.”
Your listeners might be intrigued by this response because they are wondering, “What are the two questions?”
Then you state the two questions that you want to answer.
The first question is, “Was our original plan flawed? Yes, it was because we failed to account for a global pandemic.”
Do not deny, stammer excuses or blame.
The second question is, “What did we learn and how will we apply that to next steps?”
Convey a positive message about improvement and progress.
Then you might add a third question, “How can you best support our recovery?”
Adding this third question demonstrates how you are moving the conversation forward and moving from blame and complain to shared responsibility and common goals.
You could reduce the stigma of error by relating the experience of Edison. “Apparently, Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times when he was creating the light bulb. Imagine if he quit at number 10, 100, or 1,000? We might be conducting this meeting by candlelight. We’re not quitting We’re perusing that light bulb.”
Put the mistake in perspective. Find humor and inspiration.
Here’s your formula for addressing tough questions:
Break tough questions into parts. Rephrase the questions into ones that you want to answer. Provide a positive outlook. Invite their contribution.
Admit to mistakes, flaws and imperfections. Then continue the narrative with the learning, building and positive direction.
End on a positive note and an invitation to contribute to success.
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