The power hungry young manager – a cautionary tale
A great front line support worker, Jenna was the most indispensable member of the team to Scott, the previous manager. She always came to work on time and always came with a good attitude, ready to go. She set a great example for everyone else on the team. Scott could always rely on her to get things done and handle just about anything professionally and “just like I would have”. Jenna became Scott’s “#1 A Player” very quickly.
When Scott took another position in the agency, it was an easy choice for him who to recommend to replace him, Jenna of course.
That is when things went terribly wrong. Turns out Jenna resented those she worked with; at least she acted like it. She resented that they did not care about the job anywhere near as much as she did, that they could not figure things out for themselves, that they came late, that they were sick all the time, that they did not support the individuals like she did and that they slacked off every chance they got!
Jenna came into management determined to change all that and not in the wimpy way that Scott did. She was not going to sit idly by while all this went on! There would be rules, there would be scrutiny and by god, there would be discipline!
Things went horrible wrong for Jenna and she was terminated by the agency when she lost control on several occasions while more senior managers, including the “wimpy” Scott, tried to coach her on better ways to think about and work with her team.
Jenna is an extreme example of a great front line employee becoming a terrible manager. With great coaching, interest in helping others do well and a desire to learn about management, many people can make the transition from front line work to manager. There is a very hard phase in this transition and I think it is the hardest for those that were the biggest stars on the front line. You go from being the star to starting all over again and in Jenna’s case; she could not handle it and was not open to learning a new set of skills.
I have a passion for helping people make this transition. That is why I offer my employee engagement workshop for managers, free of charge, to any agency in Canada providing supports to individuals with intellectual disabilities. I am booked solid until summer. Now is the time to book me for this fall to speak to all your managers, both new and seasoned.
Follow us on .
Demo the Inclusion System
- Let us show you how the Inclusion System makes agencies efficient and less stressed.
Demo Shiftshark
- Fill shifts in seconds
- Reduce Overtime
- Reduce grievances in unionized environments
- Put a smile on your on-call manager's face
Learn more about Shift Bidding!
- The simple way of filling vacant shifts.
- Just open shifts to your employees.
- Let them choose the shifts that work for them.
- And save time and stress from scheduling.
Try Shiftshark risk-free for 30 days
- Free live training delivered by system experts.
- Constant support and communication throughout your entire trial.
- Full-featured access to absolutely everything.
- Your data, your CBA, your rules, your way.
Trial the Inclusion System
- Free live training delivered by system experts.
- Constant support and communication throughout your entire trial.
- Full-featured access to absolutely everything.
- Your data, your CBA, your rules, your way.
Inclusion System extends our profound respect and immeasurable gratitude to all the ancestors and keepers of the land on whose traditional territories our work takes place. We acknowledge that we are on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people and the traditional homeland of the Métis people. This land is sacred, historical, and significant.
Every time we acknowledge this truth, we have an invitation and an opportunity to reflect on the wrongs of the past, what we do in the present, and what we can do to continually honour the people whose lands and water we benefit from today.
This statement only acts as a first step in honouring the land we reside on and its peoples, and must be paired with education, understanding and informed action.
Leave a Reply