Mark Landstad, relatively new to CliffBank's investment banking division, has a veteran teammate, Nicole Collins, who appears to be a reliable ally. However, when Mark needs her help in locating vital information for his part of a presentation they will be doing together, she feigns ignorance. During the meeting, Nicole produces the data out of the blue and wows the attendees with her analysis. Knocked off balance by the sabotage, Mark clumsily seeks advice from his boss, who is a brick wall when it comes to interpersonal dynamics. How should Mark deal with his backstabbing colleague? Three experts comment on this fictional case study in R0811A and R0811Z. Maggie Craddock, president of Workplace Relationships, classifies Mark as an anxious pleaser, one of four power styles identified by her firm's research. She surmises that Mark is actually sabotaging himself and recommends that he address his dilemma by first examining his own modus operandi. R. Dixon Thayer, former CEO of I-trax and himself once the victim of coworker sabotage, has empathy for Mark. However, he criticizes Mark's hasty, open-ended way of approaching his superior. Thayer lists four "rules for boss engagement" that Mark should follow, beyond proving that his sneaky colleague won't stop him from getting results at CliffBank. Deborah Kolb, of the Simmons School of Management, contends that Mark does not yet understand his division's culture well enough to know whether Nicole's behavior is the rule or the exception. Only by overcoming his political and interpersonal naivete, she argues, can he learn how to negotiate relationships in his new setting.
As Paul Kennedy sits in Cleveland's endless morning traffic, his thoughts are going in all sorts of directions, even if he's not. He's worried about his wife, who may be coming down with a cold right before their wedding anniversary. He's worried about the pitching and fielding assignments he'll have to make for tonight's Little League game. He's worried about the health of his boss, Larry, who recently had a heart attack. He's worried about his associate, Lisa, whose mother is ill and whose work is slipping. He's worried about the Cleveland Browns. He's excited too, though, about his plans to expand Daner Associates into Europe and the reorganization he's recommending, which would take a load off Larry by ceding day-to-day operations of the "new media" company to a new CEO--probably Paul, from all the hints he's heard. "I could swear Larry's been doing the nudge-nudge, wink-wink in my direction," Paul says to himself. And why not? He's been there for 10 years; he knows every facet of the operation. Customers, vendors, and employees love him. But when he meets with his boss that afternoon, Paul is in for a rude shock. Larry is considering hard-nosed George for the top slot and Paul for the No. 2 role. Paul has many of the right ingredients to be CEO, Larry explains, but he's got to get tougher. "What does that mean?" Paul thinks indignantly, back in traffic, on the way home that night. "Become an absolute jerk like George?" What can Paul do to show he's CEO material? In R0602A and R0602Z, four experts--Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Stephen R. Covey, AVL North America CEO Don Manvel, and executive coach Maggie Craddock--comment on this fictional case study.
As Paul Kennedy sits in Cleveland's endless morning traffic, his thoughts are going in all sorts of directions, even if he's not. He's worried about his wife, who may be coming down with a cold right before their wedding anniversary. He's worried about the pitching and fielding assignments he'll have to make for tonight's Little League game. He's worried about the health of his boss, Larry, who recently had a heart attack. He's worried about his associate, Lisa, whose mother is ill and whose work is slipping. He's worried about the Cleveland Browns. He's excited too, though, about his plans to expand Daner Associates into Europe and the reorganization he's recommending, which would take a load off Larry by ceding day-to-day operations of the "new media" company to a new CEO--probably Paul, from all the hints he's heard. "I could swear Larry's been doing the nudge-nudge, wink-wink in my direction," Paul says to himself. And why not? He's been there for 10 years; he knows every facet of the operation. Customers, vendors, and employees love him. But when he meets with his boss that afternoon, Paul is in for a rude shock. Larry is considering hard-nosed George for the top slot and Paul for the No. 2 role. Paul has many of the right ingredients to be CEO, Larry explains, but he's got to get tougher. "What does that mean?" Paul thinks indignantly, back in traffic, on the way home that night. "Become an absolute jerk like George?" What can Paul do to show he's CEO material? In R0602A and R0602Z, four experts--Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Stephen R. Covey, AVL North America CEO Don Manvel, and executive coach Maggie Craddock--comment on this fictional case study.
As Paul Kennedy sits in Cleveland's endless morning traffic, his thoughts are going in all sorts of directions, even if he's not. He's worried about his wife, who may be coming down with a cold right before their wedding anniversary. He's worried about the pitching and fielding assignments he'll have to make for tonight's Little League game. He's worried about the health of his boss, Larry, who recently had a heart attack. He's worried about his associate, Lisa, whose mother is ill and whose work is slipping. He's worried about the Cleveland Browns. He's excited too, though, about his plans to expand Daner Associates into Europe and the reorganization he's recommending, which would take a load off Larry by ceding day-to-day operations of the "new media" company to a new CEO--probably Paul, from all the hints he's heard. "I could swear Larry's been doing the nudge-nudge, wink-wink in my direction," Paul says to himself. And why not? He's been there for 10 years; he knows every facet of the operation. Customers, vendors, and employees love him. But when he meets with his boss that afternoon, Paul is in for a rude shock. Larry is considering hard-nosed George for the top slot and Paul for the No. 2 role. Paul has many of the right ingredients to be CEO, Larry explains, but he's got to get tougher. "What does that mean?" Paul thinks indignantly, back in traffic, on the way home that night. "Become an absolute jerk like George?" What can Paul do to show he's CEO material? In R0602A and R0602Z, four experts--Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Stephen R. Covey, AVL North America CEO Don Manvel, and executive coach Maggie Craddock--comment on this fictional case study.