1. Consider the Situation Before Taking Any Action
Our emotions tempt us to make quick decisions based upon superficial evidence which may not reflect the true nature of the problem. The manager assumed that the poor appearance of the store was due to the employees’ lack of effort or attention. He failed to consider that several store employees had been terminated due to the financial situation, while the store’s workload remained the same. Each assistant manager was responsible for more areas with fewer people to do the work.
Furthermore, each assistant had been required to take a pay reduction due to the loss of the large customer, and each was concerned that the customer loss would slow their own promotion to store manager. Though not intended, their effort probably suffered due to their own worries.]