How would you feel if you had to work for someone who knows less than you?

This happens quite often in consulting when you work with unexperienced clients (frequent example – a new CEO/department head/team head who doesn’t know what he is doing). So, your interviewer would be curious to hear how you would act.

If you have a real story to tell about a situation like this, great, tell it. In any case your answer should focus on the following 3 points:

– No matter with whom you work you always focus on the results – and in the situation like this you will ensure that this knowledge gap doesn’t affect the results

–  You will do your best to educate and coach the person who knows less than you, being sensitive to his/her feelings

– You always keep a positive attitude – even if a person has no idea what he/she is doing, you keep your energy high and deal with it with a positive mindset

I would be fine with it. I will tell him what I think but I would not be bumped if he doesn't want to follow my suggestion. At the end of the day it is his business and he can burn it to the ground if he wants.

 

Sofern er für seinen Entscheidungsbereich genügend informiert ist, hätte ich kein Problem. Generell würde ich einen häufigen Austausch fokussieren um seine Sicht zu verstehen und meine Sicht zu transportieren.

Hi Anonymous,

I guess it's mostly a matter of framing what "knowing less" means. 

Globally speaking, you might encounter specific persons who seem to know everything. Yes, still exist in today's bits and bytes highly-specialized knowledge world. That might be one situation to talk about.

However, in a much more typical scenario you will work with persons who know more about a specific topic (e.g. IFRS accounting standard and how to apply them in practice to commodity trading industries) but might lack fundamentels in other areas (e.g. managing a project in a structured way outside the regular line organisation).

So that situation is rather the norm than the exception. Main idea is obviously to be successful, meaning to use the strengths of each person involved in the team to achieve your targets. Nothing unsual, more like daily business.

Hope this helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button!

Robert

Diversity in workplace is what makes it dynamic and interesting. For me this will be exciting opportunity. We can learn together. I would be able to relate more, as there had been times when I knew less and how I managed. I would try to help and see if I can contribute for mutual success. I would let less risky mistakes to come for learning on his / her own as well. 

I would think that maybe i am working for him because he has different skills that maybe i am not able to see at this moment. I would try to teach him what i know and to learn from him in other aspects.

Unless you are interviewing for Bain Capital, who've been likened to somalian pirates with inexplicably high IQ's, your answer should incorporate some form of EQ.

I recommend mentioning that that the ideal scenario (a client who knows what you do, but is too lazy to execute) is rare, and more often than not, the client has hired you to discover what he doesn't know. In a matter of speaking, it is your job as a consultant to fill in these holes in their knowledge base and help guide them toward the best decision (while keeping an air of professionalism).

There is always a chance to learn from anyone, no matter how experienced someone might appear. If I chose to work for such an employer I would be sure, that they value my know-how I am bringing in. And I would also be sure that I am appreshiating and valuing the different know-how they are providing.

Working with someone else gives me the opportunity to not only learn about a different individual's working style but also gives me the challenge of figuring out how best we can work together. I would be grateful for an opportunity such as that.

This is a very realisitc scenario that a superior knows less about my spefiality, and this could be probaply are reason why they hired me in the first place, either for my skillset and unique knowledge, or as an extra pair of hands. I am happy to work in both ways, as long my work is acknowledged. 

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unconcerned

I would try help the person to understand the basic context and give the greatest support. I would simplify the problem, so the person would get a better understanding.

I feel motivated in  teaching him/her thinghs that doesn't know 

I would love it and be in my element. I'm a teacher and I get stellar reviews from my students. :)

I will feel uncomfortable about the deadline but will explain to him so thein he could help with some tasks which doesn't require a lot of knoweldge 

I think learning is a life long process. Just because I know more and the other person does not, doesnt necessarily mean that they are less qualified. We each have different areas of expertise. They could be better versed is something which I am not yet fully capable of. 

I would feel excited bc I could bring a lot to the table and take responsibility in guiding the project more than usually. Also there is always something that the other person knows better or has more experience in, so there will always be learning potential for everybody.

it happened I became fis go-to asset my manager had even braged himself of hiring me and said this means he is s confident manager