Wendy Peterson was recently promoted to Vice President of Sales at the Plano, Texas, office of AccountBack, an accounting software and services company. To penetrate a perceived market niche, Peterson hires Fred (Xing) Wu, whose familiarity with and access to Chinese business leaders in Plano is valuable. Wu was born and raised in China, partly educated in the U.S., and immigrated to the U.S. in 2005. Within 12 months, he had signed his regional team's largest client, but Peterson has reservations about Wu's performance and is uneasy about their working relationship. Wu has requested an assistant-unprecedented within AccountBack's flat organizational structure. Peterson reflexively perceives the request as unreasonable, but in responding she must take into account the implications her decision will have on the rest of her sales team, as well as her own career.

Discussion Questions

What kind of manager is Wendy Peterson and how has she taken charge of the Plano office?
What is your analysis of Wu’s performance?
What is Wu's perspective on the situation and the relationship with Peterson?
If you were Peterson how would you respond to Wu’s request for an assistant? What factors would you consider?
What actions would you take to improve Wu’s performance as well as your working relationship with him?
How will Peterson’s management of Wu affect the management of the rest of her team?