Can you tell me about a time when there was conflict between two team members and how you handled it?

Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Trust

"I recall a situation involving Varun, an incredibly bright junior engineer who joined my team as a fresh graduate. He was an absolute star initially – proactive, technically sharp, delivering exceptional quality, and earning an 'Exceeds Expectations' rating right away.

However, after a few months, I noticed a significant dip in his performance: tasks were delayed, code quality dropped, and he seemed frequently blocked. More concerningly, his attitude started to change – he became defensive in meetings and somewhat dismissive of teammates, which began to impact morale.

Since Varun reported to one of my Tech Leads, my first step was to have a direct but empathetic 1:1 with him. I started by asking him how he felt about his own performance. He was surprisingly self-aware, admitting to personal challenges with his father's health. I gave him full support, emphasized psychological safety, and we discussed strategies like adding buffers to estimates and proactive communication. His performance showed a brief improvement, but it wasn't sustained.

When his behavior worsened – with continued delays and a clear negative shift in attitude – I knew a more direct intervention was needed. In our next 1:1, I acknowledged his past excellence and potential, but firmly communicated that his recent delivery and attitude were hurting the team.

This is where the core conflict surfaced. Varun revealed he felt there was a negative bias against him from his Tech Lead, stemming from a missed deadline and calls. He perceived subsequent tasks as low-impact and mundane, which had completely demotivated him.

Having already discussed Varun's situation with his TL, I was prepared. I immediately clarified the misunderstanding: I told him his TL still saw him as highly promising and there was no bias. Crucially, I deep-dived into the 'mundane' task he referenced, explaining that I had specifically recommended him for it because it was a highly critical piece of work requiring his unique precision and experience, emphasizing its direct impact and why it was a team priority. This recontextualization was vital in shifting his perception.

To resolve the conflict and rebuild trust, I outlined clear steps:

• I emphasized that regaining trust was entirely possible through consistent, quality delivery on his next tasks.

• I then established weekly 1:1s with both Varun and his TL to ensure alignment, offer direct guidance, and monitor progress.

• I saw it as an opportunity to coach his TL, who was relatively new to people management, on how to effectively communicate project impact and assign tasks that both leveraged strengths and also find the interests of people and find those work for them.

Result

Over the following weeks: ✅ Varun successfully delivered multiple tasks without delays or bugs. ✅ His attitude improved, and his interactions with teammates became more positive. ✅ He re-engaged with the team, contributing ideas in discussions and actively collaborating with his peers.

The improved communication loop between him and his TL also helped clear past misunderstandings. By the end of the quarter, Varun’s confidence and performance had returned to the strong levels I had initially seen when he joined.