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Chapter 5
Case Study: Consistency and Leadership
Eileen Nolland works for a small company that employs twelve people who all work in
the same office. She is responsible for various duties ranging from answering phones and
entering orders into the system to tracking inventory and updating client files. She
both work and personal issues.
The rest of the staff resent Eileen’s connection to Jack, the boss. Many of them feel that
she gets preferential treatment. Eileen does work hard, but she also has a way of setting
her own hours. She is often overheard complaining about how tired she is after having to
stay late at night to fix some filing error. Jack is often the one to inform other employees
that Eileen is working flexible hours because some of her duties require her attention at
times outside their normal working hours.
From Jack’s perspective, Eileen is invaluable to the team. She always has necessary data
to consider, is quick to point out benefits or potential hardships to clients, and almost
always presents a solution. He wishes more employees approached their work the same
way Eileen does. In fact, he often wonders why there sometimes seems to be hostility
directed toward Eileen.
How could Jack’s perception of Eileen’s performance affect his leader behaviors when
interacting with her?
He could show her preferential treatment, which the other employees do not understand
He also seems to be allowing Eileen to have a flexible work arrangement since she works
How could her co-worker’s perception of Jack’s leader behaviors toward Eileen affect
their own performance?
It could diminish the amount of effort they want to contribute to the company. If they see
