The Political Bottom Line
The frustration caused by the apprentice as he works hard to build a reputation and impress powerful people is understandable. The disruption he brings to our team can mean we miss the significant opportunity presented by this dilemma. First, we need to come to grips with what he is doing and what this means to our performance. By finding out what needs to happen, we can also discover what we should push back on. We need to do this in a politically astute manner by working closely with our stakeholders and bring a more practical approach.
As we do this, we need to find a way to connect with the apprentice in a constructive way. If we can help him listen and trust us, then we will be able to channel his activity into the right areas. Opportunity comes from succeeding in helping him to shine and be successful while protecting our performance at the same time. This will help to develop a strong relationship with the apprentice and provide us with another political ally.
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