Page 198 - Becoming a Successful Manager

Resolving Confl icts 189

Example 3: Meeting Expectations

Fred, the sales manager of a medium-size computer software com-
pany, has three salespeople working for him. About six months
ago, the three employees requested a meeting with Fred to discuss
their mutual goals and expectations. At the end of the two-hour
meeting, they all agreed on mutual expectations they deemed
reasonable. All parties felt aligned. The salespeople knew what
they wanted from Fred, and Fred knew what he wanted from the
salespeople.
One of the goals was working together to improve customer
service. Fred agreed to help resolve sensitive customer-related
issues as they arose in real time. Within three months, the sales-
people grew frustrated by Fred’s repeated failure to honor his part
of the agreement because they counted on it and communicated
it to the customers. Fred’s failure undermined his salespeople’s
efforts and proved costly to the company.
Angered by the situation, the salespeople scheduled a confron-
tation with Fred, their manager. You are one of the salespeople
and must present your case to your manager. How do you do it?
Before you answer, consider these questions:

• How do you best demonstrate the effects/results of the failed
expectation?
• What were the mutual expectations on response time?

As best as you can keep these things in mind, stick to the
facts, consider what you learned about Fred, and focus on under-
standing, not accusing. Interpersonal confl icts can be useful if you
and your employees approach them as opportunities to learn and
grow.

Internal confl icts can be beneficial as well. We will review
three of them by example. Let’s say you are a successful sales-