As a leader, how would you persuade people to do what you want?

An example of how to best answer this question for experienced candidates:"In my current position, my department had been continuing to work with a specific vendor for many years simply due to inertia. It was easiest to simply renew the vendor’s contract each year, rather than consider other alternatives. While my manager initially objected to considering alternatives, I explained that I would like to take time to evaluate the top vendors in the field and present the alternatives. It would still be her final decision on who to work with over the long term. We considered a total of five vendors, including the incumbent. The end result was the selection of a new vendor with better features and functionality for our department at a cost savings of more than $30,000 per year…"

An example of how to best answer this question for entry level candidates:"While working on my recent internship, I needed access to data from a different department to complete one segment of my project. The head of that department initially refused my request for access to the data on the basis of my being an intern. I went to my manager requesting assistance and she said it was a learning opportunity for me to work it out on my own. So I asked the department manager to meet in person. At that meeting, I walked him through the scope of my project, how the data would be used and how it would be kept secure. Once he understood the actual use of the data and its security, he authorized my access later that day…"