
Another manager observed: “I hated when my manager be-
came the lead rep on my seven accounts. He wasn’t selective
about the customer situations he got involved in.”
The feedback from their subordinates and their substantial
workloads forced the managers to confront the issue of what
being a manager meant:
I knew I had to become a silent partner; that is the appro-
priate managerial role in a customer environment.... I knew
it was going to be hard to do if things didn’t seem to be going
right.
In the first four or five months on the job, whenever a rep
came in with a problem, I was intent on gaining credibility with
the reps, having them like me, and gaining ...