Bob is concerned about his colleague Karen and how she comes across to others in meetings. As directors at a hospital, they face competition for resources and recognition. Bob notices Karen interrupting and using sarcasm towards others. He wonders if she exhibits these behaviors with her own managers and if she is aware of how others perceive her. Bob is unsure whether to give Karen feedback, as she recently participated in a 360 degree review. He reflects on his own positive review but an area for improvement in work-life balance. Bob remains uncertain on how to best help Karen improve her self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

1. Bob
I See You and You See Me, But Do I See Me?It is absolutely clear to Bob that his colleague
Karen has no clue as to how she comes across to others. The two of them are directors in a
large metropolitan hospital, and competition among all the directors for resources,
recognition from the chief nursing officer (CNO), and the potential for promotion is fierce.
Bob really likes Karen and would love to help her gain more insight into her interactions
with others and how she perceives herself in these interactions. He has watched her time
and again in the Directors Council interrupting others, using sarcastic language, and
demonstrating counterproductive body language and facial expressions when others
present their perspectives on controversial issues. In Bob’s opinion, Karen is a very effective
leader for her managers, but he wonders whether she exhibits some of the same behaviors
in her meetings with her managers. It seems like Karen’s managers are satisfied in their
roles and have a good relationship with Karen, but Bob can’t be sure. He really is uncertain
whether he should speak to Karen about how she is being perceived in the Directors Council
or whether he should just let it go because it isn’t really his issue. On the other hand,
because of their friendship, Bob feels compelled to try to help Karen gain more self-
awareness and read the faces of other individuals around the table for feedback on how
they are reacting to her comments and how they perceive her. The entire director team
recently participated in a 360-degree analysis of their individual skills, competencies, and
behaviors in their respective roles. Input from their peers, subordinates, and supervisors
was received, analyzed, and developed into an overall analysis of their strengths and areas
that need to be developed for them to be successful in their roles. Bob is not certain how
Karen fared with the 360-degree analysis, but he suspects that some of their peers may
have been critical of her behaviors. He wonders whether he should ask Karen to join him for
coffee to discuss their respective assessments, but he is not sure if she would value his
openness about the situation. Bob is clear that he is not willing to discuss the matter with
their boss, the CNO, because he does not perceive her to be a good leader. Although it would
be her role to coach Karen and encourage her to use the hospital’s resources to improve her
self-awareness, Bob fears that the CNO would use the information against Karen.Bob has
spent considerable time reviewing his own results from the 360-degree assessment and has
reflected on the positive and negative feedback regarding his own skills and competencies.
He was pleased that his subordinates perceived him as being a very authentic leader who is
committed to the employees, engages them in decisions, and is physically present in both
crisis and positive situations. His subordinates perceive him to be very open and easy to

2. engage in conversation and indicated that he values them in their roles as nurses. Although
he could not determine where the input came from among the executive team, he was
highly rated for his resilience and nimbleness in managing crises and other difficult
situations. He seemed to be highly regarded for his character and integrity among his
colleagues as well as his subordinates and supervisors. An area that was noted for further
development included the need to improve his ability to find a balance between his work
and personal life because he was perceived to be a “workaholic,” which had affected his
personal life adversely. Those who knew Bob well realized that he had recently gone
through a separation with his significant other. Other areas that Bob needed to improve
were his ability to listen nondefensively when others were critical of his proposals and his
ability to identify and develop some of his subordinates for a viable succession plan. Bob
recognizes that he has a tendency to do everything himself instead of encouraging others to
participate in activities to gain knowledge and experience to prepare them for future
leadership roles. Although Bob was busy taking notes about how he could improve his own
performance, he was constantly reminded of his dear friend Karen and his uncertainty
about how he could most effectively help her gain more self-awareness and improved
emotional intelligence.Question 1: What level of emotional competence do you think that
Bob demonstrates in his work with his subordinates, supervisors, and colleagues?Question
2: What level of emotional competence do you think Karen demonstrates with her
colleagues on the Directors Council and with her direct reports?Question 3: Develop a script
that Bob might use to talk with Karen and give her feedback about her interactions with her
colleagues on the Directors Council.Question 4: Address what leadership theory/theories
is/are in use.