A Day in the Life of Alex Sander Essay Example

A Day in the Life of Alex Sander Paper Greiner and Collins article A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products discusses the personality traits and behavior of Alex Sander and how it not only limits his career growth but also affects others within the organization.  Alex Sander, a MBA graduate of MIT, is a product manager in the Toiletries division at Landon Care Products, Inc. Alex is a highly talented individual, a fast learner, has entrepreneurial skills with extensive market and product knowledge, is self confident, and self driven. He successfully rebranded two skin care products in over a years time. However, Alex is emotionally immature and aloof from his colleagues at work. He has a commanding personality as he not only micromanages people but also derides them if he is not satisfied with their work output and this behavior alienates him from other people in the organization. Alex admits that he gets ticked off pretty easily, is very inflexible at work relationships, and expects everyone to put in extra hours even if they have prior commitments. He thinks that his temper is actually an effective management tool that makes people finish tasks on time but does not realize that he is losing credibility among his peers and subordinates. We will write a custom essay sample on A Day in the Life of Alex Sander specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A Day in the Life of Alex Sander specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A Day in the Life of Alex Sander specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Despite his work effectiveness and efficiency, Alexs difficult behavior and disregard for co-workers feelings is limiting his desire to move further up in the organization. Based on the feedback from other people at his work place, Alex works tirelessly. However, the flip side is that Alex expects others to work the same way, and if they do not meet his expectations, then he feels that they lack commitment and dedication. Alex contributes to a negative work environment through humiliation and yelling causing nervous and frustrated co-workers. While Alexs subordinates and coworkers respect him, they dont see him as a leader due to his lack of ability to motivate people and get work done through other people. This was revealed during Alexs 360 review with his manager Sam Glass. Sam wants to keep Alex as he is a valuable asset to the company; however, Sam wants to find ways to help Alex take charge on changing his behavior.  In conclusion of the article, Alexs manager Sam discusses this issue with another colleague at his hierarchy level to identify the best possible option to rectify Alexs attitude and behavior. Comments and Recommendations Alex needs to show more concern to the feelings and insights of his peers, as well as take the 360 review more seriously as a tool to improve his weaknesses. Alex should take emotional intelligence (EI) training that can help him read emotional and social cues from others. He should also focus on developing his interpersonal skills and leadership qualities including leading through motivation and leading by example. Further, his manager, Sam should enforce Alex to implement a reward system to praise co-worker contribution.

How to Identify the Theme of a Work of Literature

How to Identify the Theme of a Work of Literature A theme is a central or underlying idea in literature, which may be stated directly or indirectly. All novels, stories, poems, and other literary works have at least one theme running through them. The writer may express insight about humanity or a worldview through a theme. Subject Versus Theme Dont confuse the subject of a work with its theme: The subject is a topic that acts as the foundation for a work of literature, such as marriage in 19th-century France.A  theme is an opinion the author expresses on the subject, for instance, the authors dissatisfaction with the narrow confines of French bourgeois marriage during that period. Major and Minor Themes There can be  major and minor themes in works of literature: A major theme is an idea that a writer repeats in his work, making it the most significant idea in a literary work.A minor theme, on the other hand, refers to an idea that appears in a work briefly and that may or may not give way to another minor theme. Read and Analyze the Work Before you attempt to identify the theme of a work, you must have read the work, and you should understand at least the basics of the plot, characterizations, and other literary elements. Spend some time thinking about the main subjects covered in work. Common subjects include coming of age, death and mourning, racism, beauty, heartbreak and betrayal, loss of innocence, and power and corruption. Next, consider what the authors view on these subjects might be. These views will point you toward the works themes. Heres how to get started. How to Identify Themes in a Published Work Note the plot of the work: Take a few moments to write down the main literary elements: plot, characterization, setting, tone, language style, etc. What were the conflicts in the work? What was the most important moment in the work? Does the author resolve the conflict? How did the work end?Identify the subject of the work: If you were to tell a friend what the work of  literature was about, how would you describe that? What would you say is the topic?Who is the protagonist (the main  character)?  How does he or she change? Does the protagonist affect other characters? How does this character relate to others?Assess the authors point of view: Finally, determine the authors view toward the characters and the choices they make. What might be the authors attitude toward the resolution of the main conflict? What message might the author be sending us? This message is the theme.  You may find clues in the  language  used, in quotes from main characters, or in the final resolut ion of the conflicts. Note that none of these elements (plot, subject, character, or point of view) constitute a theme in and of itself. But identifying them is an important first step in identifying a works major theme or themes.