Lisa Benton - Analysis
It is often said that a ‘First impression is the Final Impression’ (AJS, 2013). Unfortunately, this did not turn out well for Lisa Benton, a Harvard Business School grad, who had to face this ordeal from her manager and her co-worker at her new job.
How did she get into this mess? Could she have done something differently?
To begin with, I feel the biggest mistake Lisa made was turn down the offer from Right-Away. According to me, ‘A known enemy is always better than an unknown friend’. Lisa was liked at Right-Away and was well acquainted with everyone there, furthermore she had a good relationship with Kingston, and this would have helped her rise higher sooner.
Next, before beginning work at Houseworld, Lisa should have enquired with HR as to who her reporting Manager would be. This is essential and she could have spoken to employees who worked under Linton and got their feedback on Linton and based on this feedback could have requested HR for another project/manager. On her second day, Lisa had questions for Linton but when she noticed Linton and Scoville in an intimate meeting she left and eventually asked the questions to Scoville. Over a period of time, Lisa sought answers only from Scoville and not from Linton, thus adding a kind of a barrier between her and Linton. A very vital point was that Lisa was not assertive enough. This is well indicated by the delayed lunch meetings between her and Linton, when they were to discuss her objectives.
In addition, there were several assumptions made between Lisa and Linton when it came to the meetings. Lisa assumed, she should be in a ‘learner’ mode, but the feedback given to her was that she was too quiet during the meetings. Lisa should have identified her responsibilities for the meetings beforehand. There were a few occasions on which Scoville’s behavior could be questioned for instance when he would yell at Lisa. Also, his condescending nature would make Lisa uncomfortable. However, instead of tolerating
How did she get into this mess? Could she have done something differently?
To begin with, I feel the biggest mistake Lisa made was turn down the offer from Right-Away. According to me, ‘A known enemy is always better than an unknown friend’. Lisa was liked at Right-Away and was well acquainted with everyone there, furthermore she had a good relationship with Kingston, and this would have helped her rise higher sooner.
Next, before beginning work at Houseworld, Lisa should have enquired with HR as to who her reporting Manager would be. This is essential and she could have spoken to employees who worked under Linton and got their feedback on Linton and based on this feedback could have requested HR for another project/manager. On her second day, Lisa had questions for Linton but when she noticed Linton and Scoville in an intimate meeting she left and eventually asked the questions to Scoville. Over a period of time, Lisa sought answers only from Scoville and not from Linton, thus adding a kind of a barrier between her and Linton. A very vital point was that Lisa was not assertive enough. This is well indicated by the delayed lunch meetings between her and Linton, when they were to discuss her objectives.
In addition, there were several assumptions made between Lisa and Linton when it came to the meetings. Lisa assumed, she should be in a ‘learner’ mode, but the feedback given to her was that she was too quiet during the meetings. Lisa should have identified her responsibilities for the meetings beforehand. There were a few occasions on which Scoville’s behavior could be questioned for instance when he would yell at Lisa. Also, his condescending nature would make Lisa uncomfortable. However, instead of tolerating
References: American Journal of Sociology – The University of Chicago Press – 2013 Managing for the Future – Anocona, Kochan,Scully – 3rd Edition