What do you see as the most difficult task in being a manager?

"As a manager, the most difficult task for me is to delegate the work evenly. You will always have team members who are absolute rockstars, then some who are a bit less enthusiastic or are lower producers. I have to remind myself to distribute the work and responsibilities evenly despite my natural inclination to give more work to the high performers. I am currently working with my underperforming team members to prepare them for a larger workload."

"I would say the most difficult part of being a manager is having to take actions that affect my employees' personal lives negatively. I recently delivered the news of layoffs for five members of my team. I handled the task professionally, but I made sure to show my empathy for what they were going through as well. Additionally, I offered to write them recommendations or serve as a reference for future employment. Their layoffs were due to poor market conditions and I wanted to make sure they knew I would support them in any way I could.

I know this is part of being a manager, and I learned from the experience. In business, things happen that are out of our control, but I feel we can always find a way to place a human touch on the situation to show others that we care. I would bring my strong sense of leadership and empathy during difficult times here to Suncor if hired."