1

A Confidence Challenge

Marlen Gonzalez

South Texas College

ORGL 3311: Issues in Organizational Leadership

Dr. Rob Acosta

February 3, 2023
 2

A Confidence Challenge

Professor Banesh seems to show the characteristic traits of both Value Ethics and Integrity

and Balance Hard Truths with Optimism. The reason I believe she has Value Ethics and Integrity

trait is because when Nadia walked into her office to speak about the problems, she was having

with Dr. Asadi she did not run her out and call her colleague. Professor Banesh acted with

integrity and heard Nadia out, she then gave her the assurance that the situation would be taken

care of. Nadia had nothing to worry about, she even made the arrangement to move Nadia to

another building so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable running into Dr. Asadi. She was not in

trouble or being targeted at all. Professor Banesh just wanted her to feel comfortable, while the

situation got handled. She acted with Ethics and Integrity in this situation. I also believe she has

the Balance Hard Truths with Optimism trait because she also realized how bad of an issue this

was, but made the best of it for Nadia. The fact that they did not renew Dr. Asadi’s contract

because of how he treated the students speaks volumes to Professor Banes. She did not let this go

and took matters into her hands. This was a serious issue, he was mistreating students, belittling,

and did not get his contract renewed. They acted. This speaks on Balance Hard Truths. The

department chair and the Associate Dean worked with Nadia to help her get through the situation

and get into a research group that suited her interest. “Cultivating resilience in the face of

adversity.” (University at Buffalo, 2003).

Discussion points are important to write down when going into a difficult conversation, and

finding the right time and place is just as important. Some discussion points to have that direct

conversation between Nadia and Dr. Asadi could have been; what do I want to gain from this

conversation, what can I do differently, will you teach me what exactly you need me to learn, is

there another person that I can observe, I am not comfortable with how your tone is with me, you
 3

are making me uncomfortable, I think it’s time we sit down and speak about some things. There

are many ways to handle this toxic work situation, it was not fair for Nadia to feel uncomfortable

and feel that she was alone. She had options. She could’ve explained to Dr. Asadi how his

actions were affecting her self-esteem and her self-confidence. This could have a lasting effect

on Nadia in her life. It could affect her grades and her ability to graduate and seek employment

in the future. She could also explain to him that as a professor he should be molding her, for her

career and his actions are not setting a good example of how a professional is supposed to

conduct himself.

I would explain to them that not every person in power uses their position to intimidate and

overwhelm their employees or students. If they don’t speak up that the action will continue and

could possibly affect more people in any organization. They should not fear someone just

because they are their superior as everyone is held to the same moral standards. Students have a

voice; they are outnumbering the staff at universities. There is power in numbers, Nadia could

have voiced her concerns to a friend and maybe other friends and then a group of people could

have had the same experiences. Once a group of students had the same concerns, then they could

have gone to the chair and made a difference. The students could have made changes without

letting it drag on for years. An anonymous group chat, or organization could’ve formed and who

knows what they could’ve achieved. This would not enable further conflict because it could be

done secretly, I don’t mean that Naida should’ve made a huge scene or big deal without first

trying to be mature about the situation. She needed to do this on a one-to-one basis with Dr.

Asadi first, then tried to go up in management, and if that didn’t work then gather people to

protest against Dr. Asadi.

 4

Nadia lacked self-confidence and did not let anyone know what she was feeling. She decided

to keep it to herself and not let her family or friends know. If Nadia had confidence in herself and

knew that something was not right with Dr. Asadi she would’ve received help right away. Dr.

Asadi really made her doubt herself and start to believe all of the ugly things he would say to her.

Nadia thought she was in the wrong because Dr. Asadi made it seem that she was incompetent,

so therefore she did not have the courage to report the malicious behavior. The constant

belittlement of her intelligence and character made her feel inadequate so she felt that even if she

brought it to someone’s attention that they would not believe her. Furthermore, she would also

believe that they would see her as the problem since no other student ever spoke up about Dr.

Asadi’s actions. This is why it is important for anyone who feels that they are being bullied or

manipulated by a superior or teacher to speak up to ensure that it doesn’t happen to another

person. A great example of this is #Metoo movement. A lot of male CEO’s and high ranking

positions in several companies were belittling and sexually harassing lower level female staff

members. This went on for a long time, until someone finally spoke up and brought this matter to

the public’s attention. Now women feel safer in the workplace and know that if they speak up,

they will be heard.

 5

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MeToo_movement

https://www.google.com/search?nadiaspencer