Scenario:

You have your annual review meeting with your supervisor today. Given that you met all your sales goals this year, you were hopeful that this would mean a promotion. During the meeting, your supervisor praises your work ethic and recognizes that you have been a valuable asset to the company despite only a two-year tenure. However, your supervisor ends the meeting with one significant critique to your dismay: You do not seem happy enough and should smile more. Your supervisor continues, explaining that many of the senior executives at the company perceive you as unfriendly. You just need to work on your EI, thats all, your supervisor says. You are so taken aback by this comment that all you can say is, Okay . . . I will work on that. It had not even occurred to you that your demeanor would be scrutinized or even considered to be part of your job performance. In fact, as one of the youngest employees at the company, you had to put a lot of effort into being taken seriously. As a result, you always tried to act professionally, but now it seems like that may have backfired. The more you think about it, the more frustrated you become.

If you meet or exceed the sales metrics, what should it matter whether you smile? Besides, what is EI anyway? Everyone talks about it in magazines and newspapers. Still, no one can seem to give a straight answer as to what it means. However, if your unfriendly demeanor is the only thing standing between you and a promotion, perhaps you should try to smile more and be friendlier when the senior executives are around. But then that might mean people could take advantage of you, and you are not sure you can try to be something you are not. It just feels so inauthentic and fake.

Select TWO (2) questions from the list below for your initial response:

Do you agree that your demeanor at work is important? Do you think its importance varies across situations, contexts, and jobs? Explain?

What role, if any, do you think EI plays in this situation?

Could the supervisor have done anything differently to help you understand the feedback and assist you in using it constructively?

What would you do in this situation, and why?