A: Could you please give me an example of a time when you and your manager were at odds?

B: Yes. Most of the time,my manager and I see eye to eye. I really buy in to his management philosophies and focus on executing his ideas. But last year, there was a re-org where some more senior employees were terminated and replaced with new joiners. The result was that performance of that quarter nosedived. I proposed setting up a training framework to help the new members get up speed more quickly, but my boss wasn't really onboard with the idea. He felt it was a waste of time, and instead, we should focus more on client engagement.

A: How did you managed to convince him eventually?

B: I showed him a successful case from the Alibaba sales team. It was definitely persuasive, since we all know Alibaba is top-of-industry sales-wise. He learned that Alibaba has a very comprehensive sales training program, which includes a standardized curriculum and also one-to-one mentorship program.

A: I see. What do you think you took away from this experience?

B: I learned that the key to communication is candid and clear, especially when there are differing opinions. I believe that as we are aligned on the same goal, which is make our team stronger, we can always negotiate an effective solution.

New Words:

A and B see eye to eye ： A和B意见一致；

Management philosophies： 管理理念；

Execute：执行

Re-Org: 组织架构调整

Terminate: 劝退，终止雇佣；

New joiner: 新人；

Nosedive： 暴跌；

Get up to speed: 上手；

Be onboard with something: 认同模式；

Client engagement：客户对接

Top-of-industry（adj）: 业界最好的；

XXX-wise （adv）：从某某方面看；

Standardized Curriculum：标准化培训课程；

One-on-one mentorship program：一对一倒是体系；

What do you take away from something：你从某事中学到了什么？

The key to something:某事的关键；

Differing opinion：不同观点；

Be aligned on something：对齐，就某某事件意见一致；

Negotiate an effective solution：商讨出有效方案