Your assistant operations manager, Ken, is truly a great guy. Everybody loves him. He's funny, very social, and good-looking. He also seems to be a...

Your assistant operations manager, Ken, is truly a great guy. Everybody loves him. He's funny, very social, and good-looking. He also seems to be a great source of support for other employees. Indeed, several fellow employees would claim Ken among their best friends. Ken seems to have everything going for him. There is only one problem—Ken doesn't get results. In the two years Ken has worked in your store, he has never once met a single goal. You've met with him on numerous occasions about his performance, and each time he tells you the same thing, "I'll work on it, boss. You don't have to worry about me." After these conversations, Ken puts in a few good weeks and sometimes shows improvement. Shortly thereafter, however, his performance slides again.

PART 1A

Whose fault is this, why is Ken behaving this way? What is the underlying problem?

PART 1B

What traps could the manager in this case be falling prey to (see table 7.2 on page 252)?

PART 1C

What value does Ken have, if any? Are there any strengths of his you can leverage or use in a different way?

PART 1D (this one is longer and worth more)

Use the Performance Management Cycle (starts on page 245 and continues through chapter) to analyze and explain what you would do.