Manager’s Case Book

Archana Jog
Looking at personal strengths and
weaknesses
Alan Dawson – Financial Director
• 59 – can not afford to take early retirement
• Lost his close ally – Duncan Johnson – does not know much about his
successor – Stuart Blyth
• Company in a turmoil – to add to it – finds a rival in Matthew Davies –
being groomed as his successor
• Though not in immediate panic – he had limited time.
His options
1. Analyse his own
position without
any outside help
Ask wife or
friends for
guidance
Seek professional advice – within
the company – Helen (personnel)
or someone else outside.
What did he choose?
• Thought about his problem dispassionately
• He was a professional manager – trained to prepare financial audit.
• This was similar…
Alan’s SWOT
• Where am I now?
• Realised that Stuart needed help and he could be the man to provide it
• Where am I going?
• He would take some load off Stuart and become his deputy and let Matthew
take over some of his own work
• How am I going to get there?
• Be diplomatic. Use tactics to show he is still and effective manager and can do
much more.
Dealing with difficult people
 What is a difficult person?
• Someone who, whether consciously or subconsciously, disrupts or
hinders the smooth running and productivity in the work place.
People Aren’t Difficult, They Are Different

Each of us has certain needs that must be satisfied if we’re going to feel
good about ourselves. Some people need to have people like them,
while to others, the most important thing is to make sure that all the i’s
are dotted and the t’s are crossed.
Individual Strengths

We all complement each other. Where I’m weak, somebody else is

strong, and vice versa. We have to find a way to allow people to use
their strengths. If we don’t, those strengths may turn into weak-nesses,
and those weaknesses aren’t a pretty sight to see.
Dissecting the Difficult Conversation

• What makes a conversation DIFFICULT

• What difficult situations do you face?
Types of Difficult Conversation
• Employee to Boss disagreement / lack of support
• Denied promotion due to ‘politics’, ‘favoritism’
• Delivering bad or hard news
• Dress, hygiene, cultural habits/rites
• Inappropriate/illegal/lewd dialogue by staff/students
• Layoff, firing, demotion, student failing
• Employee/Student undermining authority, teaming
• Flirtations, inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment
The Do’s and Don’ts
DON’T

DO
Step back, walk away, prepare, approach calm
The Do’s and Don’ts
DON’T

DO
Address it early, ask permission, consider them
The Do’s and Don’ts
DON’T

DO
Ask questions, consider options, be open to
feedback, consider YOU changing
The Do’s and Don’ts
DON’T

DO
Listen carefully, openly, thoughtfully, purposely
The Do’s and Don’ts
DON’T

DO
Establish solution, define deadline, follow up
Your Call to Action
 Give meaningful thought to the last 3 difficult conversations, your
role and outcome
 Identify ways you could have ‘CHANGED’
 Practice and implement ONE Tip from today
 Assist and mentor others on how to handle difficult conversations
Manager’s Casebook
Dealing with a disgruntled subordinate
• Reg Owen – Vulcan’s senior bookkeeper – 45 and had no real
qualification
• Virtually been promised the job of Chief Accountant by Alan Dawson.
• But – an outsider – Matthew Daview – appointed to replace the chief
accountant.
• Reg had a home loan to pay – swallowed his pride
• Resented Matthew – felt vulnerable.
Dealing with a disgruntled subordinate
• Matthew was completely oblivious to the problem
• Upon knowing the resentment – did not know how to handle.
• Was struggling with the out-dated credit control system and upset
some important customers in the process.
• Reg – undermined him – taunted him about it.
• Alan warned Matthew to take care of the problem.
Matthew had several options
 Ask Alan to reprimand Reg personally
 Give Reg a formal warning himself
Quietly warn Reg that if he persisted with his current attitude he would be
forced to downgrade him.
 Ignore the problem for short term but make sure that he got even with
Reg once he had established himself at Vulcan.
Bide his time knowing that he wouldn’t be long before he learnt the
intricacies of Vulcan’s credit control system and Reg would be left with no
ammunition.
 Forestall the problem entirely by putting Reg into in an area where there
would be no day-to-day conflict. By being honest with Reg at the same
time. But informally, he could set Reg a challenge.
Matthew’s action
• Reg and Matthew could not work together – the feeling was mutual.
• Matthew suggested that Reg be appointed credit control manager:
• “Your local knowledge is invaluable, Reg. You’ve made me realize that it will
take me ages to master this system. I would ike you to take on the day-to-day
responsibility for credit control. I’m going to put a notice up saying that this
role has added responsibilities in line with its importance to Vulcan in the
present economic climate. It’s an area that will give you scope and will get me
out of your hair. How do you feel about that?”
• Reg agreed and understood.
• Matthew also made a point to mention that he will not be appointing
a number two just yet.
Strategy
• Credit control was out of Matthew’s hair
• By giving Reg a specific job – avoided resentment
• Allowed Reg to develop in his skills
• Gave Reg a target by keeping the number two position open

• Reg started respecting his new boss

• Enjoyed his new role and an opportunity to develop new ideas to improve
credit control system
• Alan was impressed with Matthews for handling the situation well…
Theory
• Decrease the negativity factor, increase positivity
• Expect
• Resistance to change
• Suspicion
• Predecessors gaining haloes
Conflict handling

Plan carefully

Lead by examples

Use open discussion with the staff

Negotiate clear objectives, standards and targets with all the staff individually
Thank You