The Situation: Dealing with a difficult leader
Anita is the third executive assistant for this CEO. She was hired because of her credentials and calm demeanor. After being in the role for almost six months, she has not been her best and HR is unsure of her future.
The Solution:
Anita’s calming demeanor is a real asset and she is task driven like the CEO. The path to Anita’s growth is to make quicker decisions without being reactive. The CEO is a dominant director and is not interested in all the details. He needs enough data to feel reassured that situations are being handled. Anita and the CEO established some timeouts so that when a situation is out of balance, there is a meeting of the minds.
The Outcome:
The challenges continue but there are fewer major ones. Anita and the CEO work through their differences and feel more confident engaging with their different communication and process styles. The end results are more positive than negative.
The first sentence of a book is a handshake, perhaps an embrace. Jhumpa Lahiri