Give an example of when you had to deliver difficult feedback to an engineer. How did you handle it?

What the interviewer is looking for:

The interviewer wants to ensure you can provide constructive feedback directly and respectfully even when it is less-than-positive. They want to hear how you approached the situation with empathy and care for the engineer.

Example response:

One of the engineers I managed at Acme Co was struggling with follow-through. He would volunteer for tasks but then not complete them on time. I knew I needed to address this directly but also empathetically. I scheduled a 1:1 focused specifically on giving him feedback. I started by praising his enthusiasm and good ideas, then gave him my direct feedback that incomplete tasks were causing issues. I made it clear I wanted to support him in improving here. We had an open discussion about potential reasons and challenges. He offered that he was taking on too much.

Together, we decided he would focus on fewer priorities and I would check in more frequently. Over the next month, his follow-through and reliability significantly improved. Starting with empathy rather than just criticism and making it a two-way discussion was key.