Managerial development is moving beyond the classroom and one-on-one meetings toward the social channel. Our team frequently meets managers who consult with us and struggle with everyday dilemmas. We assumed you’ve probably encountered similar situations, and thought it would be worthwhile to turn our collective experience into a shared social toolbox for managers.

We will raise dilemmas, and you are invited to share, bring up similar situations, and suggest tools for “our manager.” On our end, we are available for personal consultation via video messenger or written messenger to continue discussing dilemmas on a personal and confidential basis.

This time, we’ll look at the case of “Keren Ltd.” (a fictional name, of course), a mid-sized company operating in a highly competitive market. The owner is also the CEO—very aggressive, works around the clock, and believes this is the only right way. He struggles to accept that senior managers have lives outside of work. His attitude toward people is strictly “black and white.”

He is surrounded by two “rings.”
The inner ring consists of a small clique: two out of five VPs and the company’s bookkeeper—his confidants, completely loyal to him.
The second ring includes five division managers who work day and night, receive generous bonuses, and are occasionally recognized. When he is dissatisfied, however, they are met with coldness and sometimes even open aggression. For the most part, they are extremely busy and barely have time to lift their heads.

The market is small and niche, and managers are afraid to leave because everyone knows everyone, and recommendations are critical. A young manager approached us with the following question:
“I really want to develop the team leader who reports to me and strengthen him, but I know that if I expose him to the CEO, he is likely to take harsh ricochets and lose his confidence. On the other hand, if I protect him behind closed doors, he will never be exposed to the real professional world, and I won’t be able to properly mentor him. What would you suggest she do? A dilemma…”