Case Study:

Eduardo is just promoted to a visible division of a well known international NGO. An

economist, he was assigned a country with a fragile newly democratic government –
formed from opposite sides of a decade-long war that had finally reached resolution.
His divisions challenge? To help the new government ministries to coordinate their
strategies as they built their democracy in this war-torn poverty stricken part of the
world. His staff is fifty- local well respected professionals, many skilled in diplomacy
was well suited for dealing with NGO clients, members of a government who until
very recently were literally trying to kill each other.

He was a leader on a fast track, who had three jobs in 2 continents over the past six
years, all successes intended to get results and get them fast. This was going to be a
longish stint and he needed his family close to him. His wife decided to join him
alomg with her two teenage sons, resigning from her University job as a librarian.

At first, he seemed to do all the right things, he met his new team members and
began to establish good friendly relationships with them. He organized his staff for
specific tasks, clarified assignments, and established standards of excellence. He
drafted a work plan, made his rounds, meeting key ministers and community
leaders. Eduardo quickly became impatient and a bit skeptical; people seemed to
want to move so slowly. Privately with his staff, he scoffed at the notion that local
leaders could really help. He saw their typically long drawn out meetings as a huge
waste of time, and the emotional discussions a bit embarrassing.

He knew that he needed to move quickly to help the government’s ministries

formulate a clear agenda for the future. He crafted a research project to investigate
and then integrate different community objectives and concerns, as well as to
address the inherited conflicts among the country’s different cultures. He set a
demanding timetable, worked long hours, focused on outcomes, demanded the
same from others. Within a matter of weeks people were working at breakneck
speed, day and night.

This was a familiar pattern for Eduardo, and it had worked for him many times
before. The effects of the heavy demands on Eduardo, his staff, and clients soon
began to show. Tempers ran short, communication was curt, and devoid of details,
or social niceties- resulting in misunderstandings and hurt feelings.

Throughout the few months it took to do the study, his staff came to him numerous
times, trying to share what they had learned about the real needs of the new
government and various minister’s opinions about the approach the NGO was
taking.

They believed it was critical to establish better relationships with key ministers and
community leaders. Eduardo who by this time was completely frustrated chastised
them for wasting time, called the meetings they attended “chicken parties”, because
of the non-sensible “cackling” he believed they encouraged. In the interest of
efficiency, he also forbade them from attending state functions, or having other
contacts with government representatives beyond the requirements of the research
project. After a while, Eduardo, began to notice that there was considerable
resistance to his approach among his staff, he responded by working harder, and
demanding ever more of his people. He became increasingly impatient and saw only
incompetence and lack of motivation all around him.

Meanwhile Eduardo, was unaware that the government ministers and other leaders
were questioning not only his tactics but his motives; many believed him to be overly
concerned with his own career ambitions, rather than focused on collective goals.
This was not completely true of course, Eduardo was committed, the problem was
that he was an eccentric person, out of sync with client’s needs and his employees
work styles, and people could not understand why he was so caustic and difficult to
deal with.

Before long, quiet whispers of confusion and uneasiness were turning into a roar of
complaints, he did not see that with a few exceptions he was alienating his
counterparts in government and even his staff. Soon many of the latter were actively
siding with their colleagues in the government.

Less than a year later, Eduardo, was sidelined in the country, and the few staff who
had followed his lead publicly were discredited. The strategic plan they had written
was not used, the NGO was out of favor, and the government ministers did not get
the support they needed. Worst of all, there was no logical way to determine how to
allocate resources, infighting was on the rise, communities continued to go without
critical health, education and other services.

He did the same things he did in the past to succeed. He assessed the situation,
pinpointed what appeared to be time wasters, and made sure he avoided them. He
focused intensely on his goals and drove his people hard to get the job done. Yet at
this time, what he thought were the right moves were all the wrong ones. He failed
and was unsure why?

Questions for Discussion: Answer Any Three Questions

1. Ennumerate Eduardo’s shortcomings.

2. Comment on Euardo’s learning agility -- Mental Agility / People Agility /
Change Agility / Results Agility.
3. What could Eduardo have done to build and Work his team to high
performance?
4. What ideas for collaboration with stakeholders do you think Eduardo can
use?
5. If you were Eduardo’s Mentor or Coach, what advise including the one on
Wellbeing, to him may have changed the ending?