I’ve been working with some people recently who work with a managers on an ongoing basis. One of the challenges is helping managers understand what they want, isn’t going to be what they get. The idea of the manager simply putting in a demand which will be fulfilled by someone else is a bit of a pipe dream.

These managers aren’t dumb. They most likely realise they can’t have what they want yet they still ask for it.

They’re pushing the boundaries either to a) keep things as they are or b) negotiate their way down to their real target.

If they’re turned down, it’s the fault of the group.

How would you approach this? We’ve been working on a range of options but interested in how the community might approach it.