The important thing here is that you don’t come across as if you are “entitled” to be the project lead. When you used the word “insist,” it implies that you are deserving of such an opportunity. You may be, but that would not be the way you’d want to approach you boss. Instead, go in with two agendas.

The first agenda would be to let your boss know that you are ready and willing to take the lead on the project and would love the opportunity to prove to him that you can do it. Be upbeat and positive.

The second agenda is to make sure he knows that if you are not selected this time, that you’d like to be considered in the future. Ask him what one or two things you could improve upon so that he feels more comfortable selecting you as project lead in the future. Whatever he tells you, make sure you work on those areas. Because your performance review is due as well, your boss will be impressed with your motivation and leadership to step up, even if you are not the person he has in mind to lead the project. Where you will additionally score points is by accepting his decision and seeking out feedback on areas for improvement. This step alone will set you up for great success in the future.

The important thing here is to make sure your boss is aware of your intentions for a promotion. The way to do that is to tell him. Then, in that very same conversation, ask him for any feedback he might have on areas where you could improve. This is critical because it lets him know that you are motivated to improve and will do whatever it takes to move up. Four months is not a lot of time to be working at one place. It would be unusual for an employee at any company to get promoted so fast. That’s not to say it can’t happen, but I’d encourage you to let go of the notion that you need a promotion right away. Instead, focus on being a quality employee every minute of every day and trust that good things will happen when they need to happen. Management usually wants to know that an employee plans on sticking around for a while before promoting them. The only way to demonstrate that is to stick around for a while. Hope that helps.

In actuality, a boss could demand that employees rise, if able, upon his or her entering the room and could even go so far as to place the edict in the employee handbook. As for the practical impact of this effort, I am sure prospective and new employees would love to learn about this expectation in order to make a decision about whether this would be the type of workplace in which the new employee belonged.

The question does raise some legal considerations. Obviously, if an employee is disabled and, therefore, cannot rise, then he or she must be accommodated such that the employee would not be required to rise upon the start of a meeting. Standing for the boss is not likely to be an essential function of any non-military employee’s job.

Public sector employees, not private sector employees, may be entitled to express their free speech rights at work and, if refusing to rise relates to a matter of public concern, then the employer would have to balance the employee’s expression against its government purpose in demanding such respect.

Ask yourself, would this CEO ultimately be prepared to fire an otherwise qualified or valuable employee, just because the employee does not rise for him or her. Compelling polite behavior — which many agree we should see more of at work and in society — is noble, but frought with unintended consequences. My advice for your daughter: You like the job and your like the company, do you really want to get unsettled over a pretty minor issue? My advice for the CEO: Be careful what you wish for, respect is ultimately earned, not compelled. It may prove more fruitful to instruct all employees on common courtesies, e.g, polite behavior, civil speech and behavior, acknowledging others, and active listening. Instead, what this CEO needs to be prepared for is one or two employees who either refuse to rise or, worse, rise to attention and click their heels together like storm troopers as part of the growing resistance movement in the workplace.

Ironically, I just published a management book geared for novice to intermediate supervisors/managers. I wrote it as a novel so it would be fun and easy to read. It is called Ask Dr. Mac and you can preview parts of it on this website in the Bookstore section. In this story, Justin, the new manager, makes every possible mistake imaginable and has to work himself out of each one. Dr. Mac, his mentor, asks Justin to keep a “management journal” throughout the story where Justin records his thoughts, mishaps, and success stories. He ends up referring to this journal on many occasions, not just to write and record things, but as a resource to help him think through present dilemmas. Check it out. The other book I might suggest is called, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. This is also a story (actually called a fable) and is very helpful. Both books should be sitting on your management shelf regardless.

Wow! That’s a rather broad question…..books are written on this subject so it’s difficult to provide a concise answer but I would respond with this advice…. Running a fast food restaurant successfully requires a manager that focuses on customer service, product quality, cleanliness, and cost efficiency. Customer service involves providing friendly interaction with guests and rapid reaction to their requests and order (thus the name “fast food”). Product quality means ensuring the guest receives their order fresh, hot, and of course, quickly. Cleanliness is self explanatory, however, it is important that a manager have an “eye” for cleanliness beyond just the surface of equipment and seating areas. A clean restaurant will be addressed in corners, crevices, behind kitchen equipment, and in the restrooms (very important). Anyone can wipe a table off, but if you don’t clean in the hard to get areas, you invite pests which then create a whole different problem. Cost efficiency refers to how much labor and food cost the restaurant incurs to produce every dollar of sales. If you waste too much food in the production of an order, you can lose money on that order. If you keep too many workers on the clock when they aren’t needed, the operation cannot profit. Fast food is truly a business of making pennies from dollars (our currency) so you’re not working with significant profit margins. Because of high volume, you can certainly make money in that business but if you don’t keep your costs in line you can easily lose money as well. Best of luck.