Diana Gillen had an uneasy feeling of apprehension as she arrived at the Cobb Street Grille corporate offices. Today she was meeting with her supervisor, Julie Spencer, and regional director, Tom Miner, to Jearn the outcome of her promotion interview for the district manager position. Diana had been employed by this casual dining restaurant chain for 12 years and had worked her way up from server to general manager. Based on her track record, she was the obvious choice for the promotion; and her friends assured her that the interview process was merely a formality. Diana was still anxious, though, and feared that the news might not be positive. She knew she was more than qualified for the job, but that didn't guarantee anything these days. 

Nine months ago, when Diana interviewed for the last district manager opening, she thought her selection for the job was inevitable. She was shocked when that didn't happen. Diana was so upset about not getting promoted then that she initially decided not to apply for the current opening. She eventually changed her mind-after all, the company had just named her Restaurant Manager of the Year and entrusted her with managing its flagship location. Diana thought her chances had to be really good this time.

A multi-unit management position was a desirable move up for any general manager and was a goal to which Diana had aspired since she began working in the industry. When she had not been promoted the last time, Julie explained that her people skills needed to improve. But Diana knew that explanation had little to do with why she hadn't gotten the job-the real reason was corporate politics. She heard that the person they hired was some superstar from the outside- a district manager from another restaurant company who supposedly had strong multi-unit management experience and a proven track record of developing restaurant managers. Despite what she was told, she was convinced that Tom, her regional manager, had been unduly pressured to hire this person, who had been referred by the CEO. 

The decision to hire the outsider may have impressed the CEO, but it enraged Diana. With her successful track record as a restaurant manager for the Cobb Street Grille, she was much more capable, in her opinion, of overseeing multiple units than someone who was new to the o peration. Besides, district managers had always been promoted internally among the restaurant managers and she was unofficially designated as the next person to move up to a district position. Tom had hired the outside candidate as a political manoeuvre to put himself in a good light with management, even though it meant overlooking a Joyal employee like her in the process. Diana had no patience with people who made business decisions for the wrong reasons. She worked very hard to avoid politics- and it especially irritated her when the political actions of others negatively impacted on her.  

Diana was ready to be a district manager nine months ago, and thought she was even more qualified today provided the decision was based on performance. She ran a tight ship, managing her restaurant completely by the book. She meticulously adhered to policies and procedures and rigorously controlled expenses. Her sales were growing, in spite of new competition in the market, and she received relatively few customer complaints. The only number that was a little out of line was the higher turnover an10ng her staff. 

Diana was not too concerned about the increasing number of terminations, however; there was a perfectly logical explanation for this. It was because she had high standards-for herself and her employees. Any employee who delivered Jess than I 10 percent at all times would be better off finding a job somewhere else. Diana didn't think she should bend the rules for anyone, for whatever reason. A few months ago, for example, she had to fire three otherwise good employees who decided to try a new customer service tactic- a so-called innovation they dreamed up-rather than complying with the established process. As the general manager, it was her responsibility to make sure that the restaurant was managed strictly in accordance with the operations manual and she could not allow deviations. This by-the-book approach to managing had served her well for many years. It had got her promoted in the past and she was not about to jinx that now. Losing a few employees now and then- particularly those who had difficulty following the rules- was simply the cost of doing business........

Discussion Questions 

1. Apply your knowledge of the four emotional intelligence dimensions to discuss the likely reasons why Diana wasn't offered a promotion. 

2. What skills does Diana need to develop to be promotable in the future? What can the company do to support her developmental efforts?