Case study: Dave and Rhonda

Let's talk about two employees who work in our organization, Dave and Rhonda.

Rhonda is a recent recruit, fresh out of university. She has a liberal arts degree, and she has a bit of work experience from when she was a student. She did three work terms in various types of office, including one that was pretty similar to ours; and during her class terms she worked as a waitress in a restaurant and behind the counter at a coffee bar. She also volunteered in the University library and with disadvantaged children.

Dave is in his early fifties, and is a senior engineer. He has been with our firm for 26 years. Although he is considered highly skilled and competent by both his colleagues and his superiors, he has never expressed any interest in management, and the higher-ups also see him more as an individual contributor than as a manager. Although his interpersonal skills are perfectly satisfactory for doing his job, he doesn't consider himself to be much of a "people person", and he's not hugely interested in the people side of the job, or of anything else for that matter.

As you progress through this book, Dave and Rhonda will appear in various situations and contexts, and you will be asked to think about how you, as their manager, should respond. Although there are no absolutely right answers for this sort of thing, some suggestions as to how you might want to act will be provided at the end of each chapter.