Please read the caselet given below to answer the questions Jada looked up from her computer monitor to watch Landon Washington as he made his way across the room. He had just left the office of Bill Michaels, the division vice-president (VP), and was on his way back to his own side of the building. It seemed that he had something to say to almost everyone. And people responded to him with smiles he was known as a good guy. She thought he looked a little tired, with a tightness around his eyes that hadnt been there when they met the week before. A small pang of pity flicked inside her as she looked down at her screen the man did have a lot on his plate. Still, she hoped he wasnt going to stop at her desk. To that end, she tried to look as if she was very engrossed in the words on the screen. She bit her lip and leaned in, clearly working hard and not the type of person who should be disturbed. Apparently, he bought the act, for when he got close, he smiled hello but didnt stop, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. She had known Landon for a long time, but she didnt want to talk to him about the team leader position today. It had been a week since he had offered her the opportunity, and she knew time was running out. It was Monday, and Landon had asked for an answer by Tuesday at the latest. She sighed again and tried to focus on her work in earnest, but it was no use. Her head was a mess. Clearly, she was not going to think properly until she figured out what she was going to say. Darn that Landon for wrecking her life. As she absent-mindedly flipped through some files, Jada realized that she couldnt really lay the blame on Landon for this situation. She thought hard she needed somewhere to direct her angst. Then she found a good spot Patricia, her old boss. If Patricia had just stayed as the manager of her department instead of leaving 8SK Consulting and moving out of the country with her family, then everything would be just fine. Jada would be getting something done instead of bouncing around with the attention span of a squirrel. She also wouldnt be struggling with the hardest decision of her professional life. She shook her head in an effort to clear it and mumbled under her breath, What the heck am I going to do?. Jada knew that Landon hadnt complicated things on purpose. He had offered her the team leader position on the upcoming big project because he had a lot of faith in her. And it made sense. She was the most senior quality specialist in the division now that Patricia was gone. None of the other three even came close. She knew that she could do the job she had done the team leader job many times before on various projects. It was just that she didnt know if she wanted to take it on. At this company, being a team leader on a big project was not for the faint of heart. She knew it would take three to four months of long days, huge focus and utter dedication. The extra wage premium that came with the role would be nice, but Jada didnt know if she had the energy to give. After dreaming about it for years, Jada had just accepted a position in a prestigious MBA program at a university about 200 miles away, and she was starting it in just over six months. This was no small thing. There were going to be a million tasks to do to prepare for this major life change. She had to help her husband as he searched for a job in the new city. Their house here needed some major renovations before they could put it on the market. They had to figure out schools for the kids and find a new place to live. Weeks of research were needed to make all of the decisions that must be made. She had to make things as smooth as possible because she felt so selfish for putting her family through such an upheaval. Not to mention that life was pretty full even without the move. Driving three kids to sports, scouts, dance class and playdates seemed to take up all of her free time. Most days, she fell into bed exhausted at a little past 10 p.m. And housework was a lost battle she couldnt remember the last time she had cleaned out her fridge or a closet. She didnt know how she was going to squeeze in everything she had to do to make this transition. To add new responsibilities at work that was just nuts. If she took on the team leader position, she would only be responsible for the quality portion of the project, but that was still huge. Stepping into this role on the biggest project the company had ever had would be next to impossible for her. So many meetings, so many details, so much . . . blah, blah, blah. Jada rubbed her temples to release some of the tension. It made her tired just thinking about it. Still, Jada understood why Landon wanted her on this project. While he knew a lot about general consulting, he had only ever dealt with the Quality Department in a peripheral way. When Patricia left the company the month before, Bill had decided to make the four quality analysts Landons responsibility. Their function wasnt big, but it was important, especially in this upcoming project. There were whispers that this was a test of Landons managerial ability. Jada had heard someone say that senior leaders were going to give him different challenges to see if he could adapt to whatever they threw at him. This was the first one, and if he did well, they would give him even more responsibility. If he showed that he could handle whatever they threw at him without stumbling, that would indicate that he might be ready for bigger things, maybe even a VP role within a couple of years. These were just rumours, but Jada thought there might be some truth to them. Landon was acting as though this gig was important. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her colleague Maria walking by, moving quickly as usual. Jada smiled as she considered how Maria would react if she was given the team leader position. It would be the scream heard round the world. The woman was pretty excitable by nature news like that would put her over the top. Maria had never taken the lead on any project before, but she had told Patricia several times that she was anxious to take on more responsibility. She had been with the company for two years, and although she wasnt that experienced, she was smart, full of energy and pretty conscientious. If she had to pick, Jada would choose Maria over Finn and Ricky, the other two people in the department, for the job. However, Jada knew that Landon would not be comfortable with Maria taking the team leader position. Generally, no one was offered such a responsible position until they had been with the company for at least three years. And Landon wasnt one to set a precedent. When he had met with her to give her the offer, he had said, Listen, Jada, Im counting on you. Everybody else is way too junior. Youre all Ive got. But the words he said at the end of the meeting echoed in her memory the most. He had clearly noticed that she didnt seem excited about taking on the position, especially when she asked to think it over for a few days. Before he left, he said, If you help me out on this, I will really owe you one. I know I cant make you take it on, but I would consider it a personal favour if you did. Jada groaned aloud as she thought about the conversation. For the hundredth time, she wondered if there was a veiled promise somewhere in there. She hadnt kept her plans a secret. Landon knew she was leaving the company and might be looking to come back in a couple of years once she had her MBA. He was aware that the Human Resources (HR) Department had already told her that they couldnt hold her job for her. Landon was not the kind of manager who pushed for exceptions he was a very by the book kind of guy. So, although he couldnt promise her a job down the line, maybe he was saying that he would at least try to help her get back in. Landon knew a lot of people across the company. And there was a chance that he would be a VP by the time she was finished her degree. She knew full well that the company had a division in the city where she was going to school. Jada had been with the company for many years, and she had kept her eyes open. She had heard about one person who had returned in similar circumstances and was even given back some of his seniority. That would be ideal. It would relieve a lot of her guilt if she knew she had a good chance at a local job when she was finished school. She didnt know if she could ask her husband and kids to move a second time. She was startled out of her reverie by the sound of raucous laughter nearby. The other two quality analysts were on the move. Finn and Ricky waved at her good-naturedly as they walked by, presumably on the way to the coffee room. She wondered if they would stretch out their break again today. Jada was pretty sure that, unlike her, they hadnt spent any time this morning lamenting the loss of their old manager. In fact, it seemed that they had been enjoying not having a boss around. Landons office was on the other side of the building, so they didnt have anybody keeping them in line. Every time Jada went to their shared cubicle, they were either talking about a television show or on Facebook. Again, she felt a stab of worry for Landon. Those two guys were young and a little tough to handle. They were well aware that Landon didnt know much about the technical part of the job, and they seemed to want to take advantage of the situation while it lasted. Jada had been in a staff meeting when they tried to tell Landon that a certain report didnt need to be done. They werent telling the whole story, so Jada spoke up and Landon told them to finish the report. Who knew how many things they tried to put over on him when Jada wasnt around? She had trained both of them when they were first hired so she knew they werent really bad people, they were just the type to need clear guidelines and a firm hand. It didnt bode well for Landon if people saw that he couldnt keep those two under control and then Jada made things worse by refusing to take on the team leader position. People would definitely say he couldnt handle the quality group. Jada liked Landon and didnt want to make him look bad, but if she took the position and didnt do it properly, she not only would have to give up any hope of a job after graduation, she probably wouldnt even get a good reference. Patricia would give her a good reference, but she wasnt even working in her new city so that wouldnt be particularly impressive to a potential employer. If Jada turned down the position, Landon would probably still give her a fair reference, but it wouldnt be glowing. Jada felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. She wanted to help Landon and herself, but she couldnt give hours and energy that she simply did not have. Both choices kept rotating through her mind on a loop. There was no right answer. Jada clicked on her mouse to open her calendar again. Her meeting with Landon started at 10 a.m. the next day. That was less than 24 hours away. She had to figure out what she was going to tell him. Was she going to accept the position, only to fail miserably, make Landon look bad and lose her positive reference? Or was she going to decline the position, still make Landon look bad and give up any hope of him helping her get a job after graduation? With a sinking heart, she wondered if maybe the only option was to give up this chance to go back to school. However, she knew that if she didnt do it this time, she never would.

In order to effectively managing up, what thongs should Jada understand about Landon? How can Jada use each success strategy to prepare for and/or conduct a future conversation with Landon