Sandra had a particularly difficult challenge. She was brought in to manage a team that had been leaderless for over a year. The team was also all-male, and had difficulty adapting to a) having a woman for a boss, and b) having any boss at all. Sandra was frustrated that her directions were not followed, her plans were not executed and her management was not accepted.
Michele says: “Sandra needed to learn how to be direct, and give feedback her team would listen to and respect. She needed to be clear about her expectations and clear about consequences for non-performance. I counseled her to make one ally among her team – an ally that could serve as a bridge with the rest of the team, and build alliances for her.”
Outcome: Sandra did fire several of the team members who would not accept her leadership, which gave her the chance to fill the positions with her own selected people. Today, she has a solid, high-performing team who consistently exceed expectations.
