University of Transnational Business Law

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Chapter 12 Be a Leader


Leadership is action, not position.

Donald H. McGannon


Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.

Tom Peters

The Biggest Challenge

Casey is the Human Resource manager at your company. You set an appointment with him because of some issues you are having with your supervisor.

“Casey,” you say, “I really need to vent. Can I sit down and talk with you?” Casey offers you a seat. You begin to tell him about Sam, your supervisor, and the way he has been managing your team lately.

You say, “Sam was a really great manager when he started here three months ago. He had individual meetings with all of us, and he asked a lot of questions. We were all really excited to have him as our new boss, because he really seemed to care and implemented some of our ideas.

“Lately, though, he seems to be short-tempered and seems to want to make all of the decisions. I have talked with him about it, but he doesn't seem to notice that it has become a problem. In fact, I know of two people that are looking for other jobs because of it.”

Casey thinks about the situation and asks you if the timing of Casey's behavior change was around the same time corporate people had come to visit.

"I hadn't thought of that before, but yes, the timing would be about right."

Casey explains that many of the managers have been told they need to make some changes in the organization, and these changes are those that must be done without feedback from employees.

Casey says that he knows it is different than the usual management style of the branch and asks you if you can hang on for a little longer. He believes once the changes are made, Sam will be back to his old self. In the meantime, Casey suggests you talk with your manager about your concerns.

Although you feel a bit nervous to do so, you feel talking with Sam might be the best thing for your department.


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