Louis is the new warehouse manager of LogisticsGo, a small business that offers order processing services for a big corporation. Louis is now managing a former co-worker and close friend who he had known since high school. Let's call him Jeff. Everything was working well in the beginning but after a while, the situation became more and more uncomfortable for Louis. "I had to cope with our work relationship and our friendship on a regular basis," he says. Sometimes this made it hard for Louis to be objective. "There were instances where I let things slide for him that I didn't let slide for other employees that I managed." For example, on many occasions, he covered for Jeff missing deadlines or being late to work, delaying a morning group meeting without telling the rest of the team why. In Louis's view, Jeff is taking advantage of this "special treatment" and started offering excuses for missed deadlines. "He'd tell me that he had such-and-such things come up at home, or that he was having relationship issues with his girlfriend. I gave into the excuses at first."

But over time, Louis saw how Jeff's behavior was affecting his coworkers. "This was when I knew I had to put an end to the nonsense." Still, he wasn't sure how to handle it. "I had to find a way to convey to him that he had to get his act together, while at the same time keeping our friendship intact." The problem Louis decided to invite Jeff to a nearby restaurant for dinner. "This gave me the opportunity to sit him down and really talk face-to-face about the issues." He didn't level accusations, but he was direct. "I told him I empathize with the problems he was having in his life, but that it was unfair to the other team members to show up early and work harder because he'd been dropping the ball." It was a civil conversation and Jeff seemed to get the message because he changed his behavior. After a few weeks, however, Jeff started challenging Louis' authority in front of his team. As a result, the work environment at the LogisticsGo warehouse has become untenable. Your assignment: Based on the above description and the content developed in this course, answer the following questions:

1. What are the main differences, in terms of personality traits, between Louis and Jeff?

2. How do you think Louis can reverse this negative situation and how can he get Jeff motivated?

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