ABSTRACT
The stories and narratives illustrate a fairly consistent repertoire of behaviors that focus on the role of managers as teachers and mentors who develop and maintain an open, supportive, yet accountable, relationship with their employees. The capacity of a teacher is based on the complex interaction of the teacher’s knowledge of the subject matter, the learning environment he or she creates for his or her students, and the students’ abilities and responses in the working relationship. Patience is a rare commodity, so the Good Enough Managers (GEMs) that have the capacity to “hang” even for a moment are providing a valuable service. As GEMs need to be in tune with their own emotional currents, they also must have the capacity to tune in to the world of others such as their co-workers, employees, managers, and clients or customers. Empathy is the word that usually captures this willingness and ability to go into the ideas and feelings of another person.
