Phase 4 · Module 11
Use these scenarios for team coaching sessions, 1:1 debriefs, or certification preparation
Scenario 1
Situation
An employee — Maya — comes to your office and tells you that a senior leader in another department has been routinely commenting on her appearance and once grabbed her wrist when she tried to leave a meeting. She is visibly upset and says she trusts only you.
Your Task
Conduct a proper ER intake as a manager — receive the complaint correctly and escalate appropriately.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Thank Maya immediately and create a calm, private environment: "I'm glad you came to me. I want to make sure I hear everything."
Listen without taking notes initially — your full attention signals safety.
After she finishes: ask clarifying questions about facts only — dates, locations, witnesses, what was said/done. Not opinions or motives.
Do NOT tell Maya what you think will happen, whether you believe her, or what the outcome will be.
Do NOT contact or confront the senior leader yourself under any circumstances.
Do NOT promise confidentiality beyond: "Only the people who need to know for this process to work will know."
Immediately after the meeting: go to HR. Do not wait until tomorrow.
Provide HR with the factual summary of what Maya reported.
Check in with Maya after HR makes contact: "I want to make sure you felt supported."
Document everything with timestamps.
Facilitator Debrief
The ER intake is one of the highest-stakes moments in leadership. Every mistake here — delay, false promise, independent investigation, confronting the subject — can compromise the case, expose the company legally, and re-traumatize the employee. The standard is: receive carefully, document accurately, and refer immediately.
Key Principle
Your job in an ER intake is not to investigate — it is to receive and refer. Correctly and immediately.
Scenario 2
Situation
A major operational change is being rolled out across the organization. One of your senior team members — Brian — has openly told others he thinks the change is "a waste of time" and has been slow-walking his team's adoption. His attitude is spreading.
Your Task
Address a senior-level change resistance before it undermines the organizational initiative.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Meet with Brian privately and directly: "I need to talk to you about the rollout."
Name what you have observed: "You've been vocal about your concerns — including with your team — and the adoption rate on your side is significantly behind."
Listen first: "Walk me through your biggest concerns with the change." There may be legitimate operational issues you can escalate.
Separate what can be influenced from what is fixed: "I can take your operational concerns to the steering committee. The change itself is not optional."
Be clear about the expectation: "I need you to implement this on schedule — and I need you to stop characterizing it negatively to your team. You can have concerns privately. What you cannot do is undermine the initiative publicly."
Give him a constructive role: "You are one of the most experienced people here. I would rather have you solving the implementation problems than criticizing the direction."
Set a clear consequence if behavior continues: "If this continues, it becomes a leadership performance issue."
Follow up in writing with what was discussed and agreed.
Facilitator Debrief
Senior-level resistance to change is particularly damaging because it gives permission to the whole team to disengage. Managers must address it faster, not more slowly, because of the seniority — the higher the person, the larger the shadow they cast on the team.
Key Principle
Change management is a leadership responsibility. Leaders who publicly undermine decisions they disagree with are not exercising dissent — they are damaging organizational trust.
Scenario 3
Situation
Your most critical team member — Wei — has just accepted an internal transfer. She leaves in 60 days. You have no obvious successor identified. The role requires 18 months to fully ramp.
Your Task
Build an emergency succession response and begin sustainable succession planning for the future.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Immediate response: meet with Wei to document institutional knowledge — processes, client relationships, system access, workarounds, undocumented processes.
Create a knowledge transfer plan for the 60-day window: what must be captured before she leaves.
Assess the internal talent pipeline honestly: who is closest to ready? Who has potential with stretch?
Identify the top internal candidate and have an honest conversation: "I want to talk about an opportunity — but I also want to be honest about what it would require of you."
Do not promise a promotion you cannot deliver — frame it as a development opportunity with potential.
Contact HR to post the role or confirm the succession pathway.
Reflect: how did you get here with no succession plan? Build a 12-month talent review into your management calendar.
Identify the top-two successors for every critical role on your team — do not wait for the next crisis.
Facilitator Debrief
The "don't hoard talent" principle works both ways: develop your people for growth, and build redundancy so no single departure breaks the team. Succession planning is not an HR exercise — it is a leadership discipline that great managers practice continuously.
Key Principle
Great managers are talent exporters, not talent hoarders. Develop people who can replace you — and plan for who replaces them when they grow.