question: Identify leadership relationship building challenges that are facing T
ID: 469046 • Letter: Q
Question
question: Identify leadership relationship building challenges that are facing Taira.
Taira (Salmon) Brandt is the 35 year old daughter of Garret Salmon the owner of a medium sized party invitation company “Loads of Fun.” Taira has recently received a degree from UMUC in Business Management and is anxious to take over her father’s company. She is a single mother, very attractive but a little retiring in her manner. She and her father have been planning her take over for several years, ever since her ex-husband left the business after their divorce, an event that did not go unnoticed within the company. Taira has always worked in some capacity within the company but never in a serious leadership role. She is simply known as the “boss’ daughter”. Taira and her father have agreed that she will take over as CEO in the next two months. No one knows of this decision. Having taken BMGT 365 Taira realizes that she has her work cut out for her if she is to be a good company leader. The first thing she has to do is take stock of the company. This is what she sees. The company has netted 1.5 million in sales for the last two years with no growth rate. Costs have; however, increased 3 percent. The company produces and sells a variety of invitation styles at different price points but her most popular items seem to be either the “budget” invitations or the “high end” expensive paper products. Her sales people have traditionally only sold to card stores or stationers. The company has never sought to sell directly to the customer. Taira would like to explore the online market for future growth potential. In addition to the new markets, Taira would like to revamp the company image and marketing plans. Taira’s father, the current CEO, was approached by a Singapore firm who would like ‘Loads of Fun.” to go into a joint venture with them to set up a separate web store that will sell invitations to Asia with local stores in Singapore. Taira and her father are uncomfortable with the approach because they lack understanding of the Asian culture but do see a great business opportunity. There is another issue that is on Taira’s business agenda. The company is located in Kent, Washington one of the largest lumber towns in the country. Being close to the paper source has saved money in the past for the company but now pressure is on to seek “green” methods of production. A recent article in the Kent County Gazette challenged “Loads of Fun.” to get in touch with their “green side.” The business side seems solid right now but her father has never really changed things since he started the business forty years ago. He has managed his way to success. Her father… Taira thought is another matter. What is his role going to be? He jokingly says that he wants to go into “semi-retirement” but never really says what that means. In fact Taira’s not really sure that he wants to retire. When she asks him what role he wants his reply is “I have just one request don’t make me a figurehead. I would rather retire completely. You choose the job or have me retire either way I will do what you want. It is your show now sweetheart.” Garret Salmon is an extrovert through and through. He always wants to be near the action and thrives on running the company. His open personality and hands-on style has made the business what it is now. Taira knows this is true but her role growing up as the “I’ll do any job girl” has made her privy to lots of company gossip. She heard that the new middle management staff of which there are three, two men and one woman, say he is nice but too controlling. Others, who have been with Garret for the last 25 years, have given up trying to think for themselves, and just go with the flow. Taira thinks, “Where do I put my father? I need to establish myself and my style with these people. I want to make big changes and I have to get them on board. Yet, I don’t want to lose my father’s knowledge and enthusiasm. I don’t want to lose him altogether.”
Explanation / Answer
From this case study we can understand a few important nuggets. This company is forty years old and has an old approach of doing business. In this day and age of ‘green revolution’ they are being challenged for cutting down trees.
Then we have Garrett Salmon who has his own style of running the show and he has run the company successfully. However, he does seem to have an orthodox approach where he does not want to get in to any risky ventures like the approach made by the CEO of a Singapore company. However, he has the go with the flow and gregarious nature which has helped the company to thrive. Albeit, the new entrants in the middle management feel he is nice but controlling. The older employees are just like Garett, they go with the flow.
Taira, Garrett’s daughter is a different personality altogether. She is armed with education and has worked in all departments so has experience from the grass root level. Which makes it possible for her to understand situations completely. However, her retiring manner sometimes pulls her down. She has her hands full as she is planning to take over the company. She needs to appease the ‘green revolution’ group. The company has netted 1.5 million in sales for the last two years with no growth rate but costs have increased by 3 percent so this is an area where she needs to concentrate and improve. She will have to start taking a few risks and expand her operations. She needs to explore the online market more seriously which is the current trend of selling products. She needs to get a mix of youth and experience in her team so that she can get current and fresh ideas and in the same time understand the if there were historical implications of any of these fresh ideas.
Her more pressing matter is about her father. If she has to take over the company she has to ask her father to completely step down. He has told her he does not want to only be a figurehead but it will be difficult for him to not get involved if he keeps coming to the company and Taira also would not want to cut him out totally as she would want to tap his enormous experience time and again while taking crucial decisions.
This is probably what Taira can do. She can have a post created for her father where he comes in everyday and gets involved in the operations of the business but the final authority rests with her. They can have a set up where she takes a call and sends it to her father for his opinion. He will have all rights to override it and put forth his opinion. However, before her father’s opinion is implemented (provided it is better and more feasible than the one opined by Taira) it needs to be run down by Taira and she needs to agree with it and approve it before it is implemented. This way Garrett is not only a figurehead but has a voice and Taira also does not lose her position and supremacy plus she gets to learn.
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