Juanita Maxwell devotes a great deal of time and energy in getting to know her employees. She pays attention to what they say when she asks them how they’re doing, and she remembers incidental facts like pet’s names and favorite days of the week. Juanita has found that these kinds of details help her match her employees to projects that bring out their best skill sets and internal motivations. She knows, for example, that her office manager, Marcy, is a true morning person, so Juanita schedules their meetings as early as possible to maximize their effectiveness. Juanita has a new employee on the sales team, Sandra, who is not as easy for her to read. When Sandra first started at Trumbell and Son, she was very quiet, bordering on introverted. Juanita chalked some of it, certainly, to Sandra being new, and many of the other office workers having been colleagues for over five years. At the company picnic a month later, however, Sandra matched the level of laughter and outgoingness of employees like Willy, the most senior salesperson. She engaged in games and exhibited spirited competitiveness.

Back in the office on Monday, though, Sandra kept her eyes down and avoided small talk in the office break room. She wasn’t impolite to Juanita, but gone was the vivacious person who appeared at the picnic. Juanita assumed Sandra was a naturally shy person until the first 8 A.M. staff meeting to discuss Trumbell’s new product line. As voices rose with suggestions and questions, Sandra didn’t hesitate to add hers to the fray. Juanita was surprised at Sandra’s sudden assertive nature, given that only two days ago she had barely mumbled out “Good evening” as Juanita had waved good bye. This ebb and flow of energy and assertiveness continued for three months, during which Juanita tries to discern which “Sandra” is the “real” one. Is she a dynamic go-getter who just didn’t like mornings or a complete introvert? So far Sandra has done an excellent job, but Juanita is uncomfortable having an employee whose personality seems so inconsistent. She begins to question if Sandra is really a good fit for Trumbell and Son.

Required:

Using consequential, rule-based, and character theories, evaluate Juanita’s options. What should Juanita do? Why?