Returning to the example of the salesman, let us imagine that his sales record continues to increase without his showing any consideration for others until he is the top salesman in the company, and is rewarded with a promotion to the position of sales manager. Up to now he has been able to work at his own pace and has been evaluated only on results. However, now that he is the manager of the sales department, what will become of those who work under him?
He will try to make his staff adopt his methods; in other words, the only instructions he will give them are sales targets, and how many cars they should try and sell each month. If they are incapable of achieving his goals, he will consider them incapable of doing the job and see them as a burden on the company. But if they succeed, he will value as good workers. This is the only criterion by which he is able to evaluate his staff.
On seeing their sales records, he will gradually get more and more frustrated, because although he is confident he can sell fifteen units a month, his staff are only capable of selling three to five units per month While a good manager would take subordinates aside and teach them how to go about winning more order this type of manager will want to make the sales himself. He will go over the heads of subordinates contacting customers or managers of other companies directly to make deals. The subordinates in question will become increasingly disenchanted with their job and say, "If you want to do it yourself, you're welcome to it." As a result, subordinates will not develop into efficient sales people.
The reason this particular manager behaves in this way is that he has only ever been interested in his own success. That is all he has leamed; he has never really given much thought to human psychology. He has probably done his job in a selfish, pushy way. In fact, people who do well in sales departments often tend to be egotistical, and barely capable of self analysis.
These kinds of people are quite happy to barge in on others and do business, believing they are well liked and that everyone is open with them. However, in reality, as soon as this sort of person leaves an office, everyone heaves a sigh of relief. The person in question would never even notice. People like this have no idea how selfish they are, and they make a sales pitch with the firm belief that everyone is their friend. This is a very common story.
Subordinates who are cautious or sensitive will never be able to act as brazenly as their manager. They will not be able to follow his example or his instructions on how to do their job, so they will use their own ingenuity and draw upon their strengths. For instance, they may take up a hobby and use it as a topic of conversation to get closer to clients, or emphasize friendliness as a way of promoting sales However, the sales manager will find this sort of approach very frustrating to watch.
People like this sales manager need to let their souts rest at some point in time; they need time to recuperate. Only when they themselves have experienced misfortune or adversity will they be able to understand the feelings of others. They usually believe themselves to be indispensable to the company and think that nothing will get done unless they are there. However, when they are ill and discover that in their absence things actually run smoothly without them, they are shocked. The biggest shock comes when their colleagues come to visit them in hospital and say, "Everything is fine in the office, so please don't worry about work. These words of comfort are actually very painful to such people, because they are really hoping that their colleagues will come and beg them to return as soon as possible so that everything will run smoothly again.
This sort of experience shatters their reality. It is as if these people were clowns; while they were completely absorbed performing their own dance beneath the spotlights, the entire audience has disappeared without their realizing. These sorts of people need to go through some kind of ordeal and it is not a step but an experience that is essential for them if they are to develop greater stature
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