The Day in the Life of Alex Sander case demonstrates a few issues that are applicable to leadership communication.

In this case analysis, we will use concepts that were drawn from the reading in chapter nine to analyze the actions presented by Alex Sander, a product manager at Landon are !roducts. "e will examine Alex as it pertains to strategic con#ersation, communicating to persuade and influence, and non$#erbal communication%effecti#ely using electronic communication channels. Strategic Conversation Daft explains six different issues that fall into strategic con#ersion, which if followed can ma&e you a leader as a communication champion. Loo&ing at this case it is apparent that Alex failed in most if not all these areas, with a few being the most glaring. The first being open communication, which Daft states that leaders brea& down con#entional hierarchical and departmental boundaries that may be barriers to communication. learly Alex wasn't a leader

when it came to open communication since he was what was actually creating a barrier between himself and his subordinates. (is open hostility and narcissism, which was noted in the )*+$ degree feedbac&, made it difficult to come to him with any potential disagreements and differing ideas. Alex sees himself as the smartest person in the room with all of the answers. The fact that Alex thin&s he has all the answers leads to the next area of strategic con#ersation he is lac&ing, as&ing ,uestions. According to Daft, managers typically thin& they should be the people with the right answers, though leadership is more about being the person with the right ,uestions. Alex explains his style as trusting his own -udgment to ma&e snap decisions about things he admits he &nows little about. "hile doing this he fails to recognize that he has experienced personnel under him who would be able to help him gain more information and answer ,uestions to help fill &nowledge gaps, which is what Daft calls a leader$

centered approach to ,uestioning. Alex's authoritarian approach could possibly be attributed to his super#isor, Sam .lass, who has allowed him to come into the company ma&ing wa#es. Another possibility is that ha#ing and education from Stanford and /IT has lead Alex to belie#e he is the smartest person in the room and that he doesn't ha#e to listen to others. Alex's ability, or lac& thereof, to listen to others is the last part of strategic con#ersation that was deficient. Listening in the words of Daft in#ol#es the s&ill of grasping and interpreting a message's intended meaning. It was apparent that Alex didn't thin& fondly of the )*+$degree feedbac& process and caused him to not properly interpret from Sam that this information can be used to better himself. (e came into the feedbac& session with preconceptions and -udged it before hearing it out. Alex mentioned that money is his moti#ation and that as long as he continues to be successful with his wor& he will continue to ma&e more than his peers, regardless of any re#iew. 0eing that he is the youngest product manager in the company and ha#ing success so ,uic&ly seems to ha#e made him belie#e he doesn't need to be an acti#e listener and only needs to rely on himself. Communication to Persuade and Influence reating an en#ironment where leaders are able to persuade and influence others is ideal. Daft opines that leaders use communication s&ills to sell others on the #ision and influence them to beha#e in ways that achie#e goals and help accomplish the #ision. 1ne way of doing this is by establishing credibility in the eyes of your followers. The lac& of relationships Alex has been about to form with his subordinates undermines his credibility. This is noted by how he treated 0etsy .arrison. Instead of trying to help her and explain and con#ince her what he wanted on a pro-ect he scolded her and too& the pro-ect away from her for himself to complete. Another employee noted in the feedbac& that the only praise Alex gi#es out is when he doesn't berate

them. !ositi#e relationships aren't created when people are treated so harshly. Alex possesses a short$term outloo& belie#ing that this is an effecti#e management tool because it will get employees' producti#ity to -ump up for a few wee&s, but in the long run it creates resentment and demoti#ates people. Alex lac&s emotional intelligence, which causes him to not be able to de#elop positi#e relationship, and to connect emotionally with subordinates. .ood leaders sense others' emotions and ad-ust their approach to match the audience's ability to recei#e their message. (e is unable to recognize that his wor&%life balance intimidates others since they can't put in the same hours as him and specifically couldn't detect the unhappiness of employees about the demand of the current pro-ect before the wee&ly team meeting. Alex lac&s social awareness, as he only sees problems through his own lens, and doesn't empathize with others on not being able to &eep up with his wor& demands. Conclusions It is clear that Alex Sander did not employ leadership communication when it came to strategic con#ersation and communication to persuade and influence others. "hile part of the problem might be the lac& of accountability his super#isor has held him too when it comes to relationship management with his subordinates, it seems that most of this can be attributed to Alex himself and not his en#ironment. Alex is clearly a smart indi#idual and maybe e#en a good manager, but it is clear that he isn't seen as a leader.