Management in One Meme: “I Was Put in an Awkward Situation…”

Hi, Reader!

Management in one meme:​
​"I was put in an awkward situation. And I reacted poorly."

Honestly, this should be in every new manager handbook.

• Your employee asks for a raise mid-crisis? Awkward.
• You tried to “empower” your team but forgot to give actual instructions? Awkward.
• You held a meeting that could’ve been an email? Awkward and unforgivable.

If we're all being honest, every leader has had a poor reaction to something in their career.

Early in my recruiting days, I was on a warehouse staffing project. I had to let someone go from their assignment, and I opened the conversation with, "How have you been enjoying it so far?"

…So basically, tell me how awesome your first week has been so I can then tell you it’s your last paycheck. 😬

It was a terribly awkward start to the conversation. I wasn’t given any tips on how to handle this—especially over the phone. They just told me to do it. And it sucked.

But I handled the next call better.

Because great leadership isn’t about avoiding awkward situations. It’s about handling them better every time they come up.

The difference between a struggling manager and a strong one isn’t perfection. It’s the ability to:
✅ Pause before reacting​
✅ Assess the situation without spiraling​
✅ Learn from missteps and adjust for next time​
✅ Communicate clearly—even when it’s uncomfortable

I’ve worked with enough teams to know that most leadership misfires and “poor reactions” aren’t because managers don’t care. It’s because they were thrown into a situation with no guidance—but they’re trying their best.

What’s a lesson you had to learn in an awkward way? Hit reply—I’d love to hear it!

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Lead Well, Scale Smart,

Samantha C. Prestidge

Founder, Management Excellence & Team Performance

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