Adam is usually an energetic, engaging fellow -- until he gets frustrated. Then he swears, kicks his repair stand, and hurls his tools to the ground. These spells always pass quickly, and Adam himself usually clears the air with a joke at his own expense.
Jenny, meanwhile, is the most meticulous mechanic in the shop. Many customers ask that only she work on their bikes. She's always quiet and serious--so much so that the other employees play a game called "Make Jenny Talk," in which they take turns asking her questions. The winner is whoever draws the longest reply.
One evening, the rest of the staff had gone out for a few pitchers at the neighborhood bar, and Wayne was eager to join them. He was adjusting the brakes on one last bike when he saw Jenny standing next to him.
"Are you going to join us tonight?" he said. "You should really come out with us sometime. It would be fun."
"No thanks," Jenny replied flatly. "I wanted to talk to you about Adam. I've been meaning to do this for a long time, but I haven't because I know you're not going to think it's serious. But it is to me."
"What's on your mind?" Wayne said, putting down his tools.
Jenny let out a deep breath, then said, "He scares me. When he loses his temper, he says he doesn't know what he's doing. He says he sees spots in front of his eyes. My father used to say that, too. I'm afraid of saying something that might make Adam mad at me."
"Okay," said Wayne. "Consider it taken care of." The next day, Wayne took Adam out to lunch and said, "Remember last week when you were having all that trouble fixing that derailleur?"
"Oh yeah," said Adam. "I really lost it that time. I'm surprised I didn't break something."
Wayne nodded, then launched into a story he had carefully invented for the occasion, in order to protect Jenny's privacy. "Some customers came in right before you went off," Wayne continued. "You should have seen the look on their faces when they heard all the commotion coming from the back. They were out the door before I had a chance to find out what they wanted."
"That's no good," Adam said sincerely. "I'm not going to let that happen again. You've got my word on it. No more tantrums."
"Good," said Wayne. "I'm glad we've had a chance to work this out." "Me, too," Adam agreed, while gesturing to the waiter for another beer. There were no outbursts the rest of the week, and on Monday morning, Wayne switched his work station with Jenny's.
"What are you doing way back here?" Adam asked. "Don't you need to keep an eye on the front?"
"Oh, I can still keep my hand in up there," Wayne replied. "I just thought it might be good to get a perspective from back here for a while."
Adam shrugged. The morning was uneventful, and Wayne felt relieved. But after lunch, Jenny passed Wayne a note, asking to speak with him privately.
"What's up?" Wayne asked, when they were both outside on the loading dock.
Jenny said, "Adam keeps giving me these looks like he wants to strangle me. I just don't think I can work with him any more."
How should Wayne respond to Jenny's fears? What can he do to repair the working relationship between these two employees--and keep them both on staff--while maintaining a supportive environment throughout the shop?
