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Boss Quote by Diana Rowland

“Mzatal gave a decisive nod. “I will manage this. It cannot continue to interfere with his work. Too much is at stake.” I raised an eyebrow. “How do you intend to manage it?” “I will tell him the truth and outline the consequences.” I was surprised Mzatal didn’t shrivel away from the look I gave…” quote by Diana Rowland
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““Mzatal gave a decisive nod. “I will manage this. It cannot continue to interfere with his work. Too much is at stake.” I raised an eyebrow. “How do you intend to manage it?” “I will tell him the truth and outline the consequences.” I was surprised Mzatal didn’t shrivel away from the look I gave him. “Dude. Seriously? You expect him to stop crushing on me because you forbid it?” Mzatal frowned, contemplative. “Perhaps not ideal given the entanglement of human emotions, though there is no time for it to drag on,” he said, as if he actually knew what he was talking about. “If he knows you have no interest and sees how his distractions have affected his work, he will subside enough for now.” My withering look became glacial. “Boss, you’re completely awesome in many ways, but you are so off-base with this it’s not even funny.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve already ramped ‘No Interest’ up to eleven on the dial and, at this point, he doesn’t care if his work suffers.” I took a big gulp of coffee, then ran my fingers through my tangled hair. “Let me deal with it. Normally I’m not into direct confrontation with this sort of shit, but there’s isn’t enough time for it to fizzle out on its own.” Mzatal regarded me with that damned unreadable mask which he’d slipped on as I was talking. Great. Lords weren’t much on being told they were wrong, but it had to be said.””

Diana Rowland

About This Quote

Source Novel: Office Politics, 2020

A manager confronts a colleague’s distraction, using blunt honesty and escalation, highlighting power dynamics and emotional entanglement.

In simple terms: Manager uses direct honesty to address distraction.

Key Takeaway

Address issues directly, set clear boundaries.

Themes

workplace power communication

Mood

analytical tense

Type

professional conflict.

When to use this quote

  • team meetings
  • performance reviews
  • HR interventions

Key Concepts

boundary setting emotional intelligence conflict resolution

Questions to Reflect On

  • How to balance honesty with empathy?
  • When is escalation appropriate?
A Different Perspective

Directness may damage relationships if not handled sensitively.

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