Scenario Questions

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Scenario question: Of late, your close friend at work, Neeraj has been concerned about his manager. He described it to you one day over coffee. In Neeraj’s words: “My manager is expecting too much from me and not supporting me enough in my work. In the annual appraisal a few months back, he conveyed in his usual soft-mannered way that my performance is barely meeting expectations. Specifically, he enumerated several projects where in his opinion I did just about what I was asked to with no creativity or excitement either for my audience or for me. What does he expect me to do, dance for the clients? He said that I need too much guidance and rework. Isn’t that his job and who is perfect? He added that I have the capability to be a resource for my colleagues but I am not visible. He suggested that I should show more initiative and go beyond what others tell me to do. This does not make any sense to me. Last year, I was doing the same things and everyone seemed happy. I complete my projects on time. I am never late to work. I am nice to everyone. If someone comes to me, I help them. What can I do if people rarely come to me asking for help? This creativity comment does not make sense. I think I am creative. Is it my role to decide what should be done in a project? My job is to deliver the analysis which is requested and I think I do it with excellence. I am at my wit’s end. Do you have any advice?” Please recommend two actions to Neeraj with justification that will convince him to implement them.

- Action 1: Get creativity right! Being creative is not about dancing and singing for the client, but being different and innovative to come up with new and better solutions for the client you have worked with long enough to understand the challenges of their business. It could also be about helping your own project team with out-of-the-box solutions rather than just complying to what you have been asked to do. If he does that, he will be able to contribute to the team’s performance as well as add value to the client.

- Action 2: Raise the bar as you move ahead in your career! You have to get better than how you performed in the last year. Both the expectations of stakeholders and the performance standards within a team get changed and elevated from year to year, project to project.

Scenario question: You are a good performer at work and you like your firm. The firm has an open environment and you feel comfortable speaking up and making suggestions. Your colleagues, manager and other leaders appreciate your contribution. You know that you are growing well. Yesterday you heard that a new project has come to your firm on social media analytics and one of your colleagues, another good performer, has been roped in to assist the more knowledgeable leaders of the firm. You have been wondering why you were not asked to join that project. You are active on social media but have no knowledge or experience in social media analytics. You know that it is a hot field and are intensely interested in gaining experience in it. You are happy that your firm is getting projects in that area too but you wish that you were invited to that project team. What should you do?

- I will share with my manager that you have interest in working on social media projects and inquire about any opportunities he can help with. I will discuss how I can acquire skills in social media analytics.

- Ask my colleague to share his experience and learning avenues for social media analytics

- Network with other knowledgeable leaders in social media how can I chart a quick learning plan to acquire working skills in social media analytics

- Prepare a short-term learning and action plan and discuss with my manager. Reiterate interest to work in social media analytics projects.