Reference no: EM133160383

Case Study 1

In the Lead: Irvin D. Yalom and Marcia Reynolds

Psychology professor Irvin D. Yalom has some interesting stories from his counseling experience with clients in individual and group therapy. One woman ranted at length in a group therapy session about her boss, who never listened and refused to pay her any respect. There's nothing funny about a bad boss, but the interesting thing about this client was that as her work with Yalom continued, her complaints about her terrible boss persisted through three different jobs with three different supervisors. It is likely that not only she but also her supervisors, colleagues, and the companies where she worked suffered due to her unproductive relationships with her superiors.

Contrast this woman's attitude and approach to that of Marcia Reynolds who once worked for a micromanaging boss who was always criticizing and correcting her work. Reynolds decided to stop resenting his micromanaging and instead "act as though he were the world's best boss with the world's best employee." Instead of complaining and pushing back when her boss micromanaged, Reynolds was cheerful and helpful. She says an interesting thing happened: "When I stopped resisting, he started trusting me. When there was no longer any resistance, he quit fighting. Doing that really empowered me." As her boss increasingly trusted Reynolds, his micromanaging continued to abate, their relationship continued to improve, and both were happier and more productive. Reynolds was able to better do her job and get her subordinates what they needed by learning to manage up.

Question

1. How did Marcia Reynolds manage or influence her boss?

2. Describe a difficult situation where you had to manage your boss or leader, and what did you do to manage your boss or leader?