Q: I recently promoted one of the supervisors in my department to a management position. Several of her peers also applied for the job, but I felt she was clearly the most qualified. Unfortunately, one of the unsuccessful applicants has had a hard time accepting my decision.

"Carl's" recent negative attitude has been noticed by both his employees and his co-workers. He seems to be going through some sort of grieving process. Since Carl will soon be reporting to the newly promoted manager, this really needs to stop. How much time should I give him to get over it?

A: Any supervisor who publicly pouts about losing a promotion is hardly management material, so your decision to bypass Carl was obviously correct. At work, people are expected to keep their emotions in check and react to setbacks in a mature manner. Although Carl's disappointment is understandable, he still needs to maintain his "game face" at the office.