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What A Star That A Jerk

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Introduction
The ability to identify and solve a workplace problem is an integral managing ability. Cliffe et al.’s article, “What a Star—What a Jerk,” (2001) focuses on a manager in a new position who is having problems with an aggressive, but talented, employee. Though the difficult worker in the article is a subordinate, I view the manager, Jane, as the cause of most issues. Jane demonstrates that she is not manager material by running to her old co-worker with every problem, gossiping about her subordinates, complaining about basic managerial duties, and handling insubordination poorly. Through her behavior as a manager, Jane reminds me of Susan , a manager whom I recently had to suffer through working under. Although my situation is not exactly like that in the article, I understand how it feels to work for someone who acts inappropriately, causes conflict in the workplace, and lacks crucial leadership skills.
Unifying With A New Team
Jane’s biggest mistake in her new position is keeping herself connected to her old position through communication with Rick, which ultimately disables her from fully merging into her new position. Similarly, after Susan transferred to our store, she was constantly on the phone with a manager from the store from which she transferred, sometimes ignoring incoming phone calls from customers and talking poorly of employees on phones by the front door where she could be heard. Her resistance to leaving her comfort zone made her seem withdrawn

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