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This case study is about a dysfunctional team that lacks leadership they need to solve a difficult problem. For this assignment I will give my perspective of the case, discuss what the employees can do to better understand the perspectives of each other and their boss, and make a few recommendations about what their leader can do to help them work together. This is just my opinion on things that are wrong and what I feel will help them reach the desired outcome. The Chattanooga Food Corporation (CUFF), is a family owned operation that was founded in 1936.
In 1996, CUFF formed three divisions which consisted of grocery products, specialty foods, and ice cream. Chattanooga Ice Cream Division was one of the largest in the nation. In the case study, we learned that the Ice Cream Division has just lost Stay & Shop which was their third largest customer at $6. 5 million in annual sales. Charlie Moore, the leading executive has gathered his team of managers together, to let them know the bad news. During the meeting he sees his team unfold right before his very eyes. He has been aware of issues between staff, but as always just overlooked them in hopes that it would go away.
In this situation, he needs their help in coming up with a solution to a game changing problem for them. Dysfunctional Team Welch Way Principles 8 Essential Rules In week two we learned of eight essential rules that Jack Welch developed and believed help him become and effective leader. These are great areas to focus on as a leader and are very definable in your actions. What is so great is that the rules help leaders focus on the growth of others and not their own success. Rule one focuses on leaders upgrading their teams by building self- inference, evaluating and coaching. As a leader you are responsible for your team.
If as a team they are lacking a certain skill set or are not performing to standards, you must step up and coach them. If the team reaches accomplishments then they should be celebrated. This area helps grow your team while meeting mission. In rule two; leaders make sure people not only see the organizations vision but must also live and breathe it. What exactly does this mean? As leader you are responsible for the direction in which your team performs. It is the leader’s responsibility to keep the team in the same direction. So much so that they can each member should be able to tell you the vision if asked.
Keeping others focused and motivated is key in this area. For rule three, the leader get into everyone’s skin excluding positive energy and optimism. This rule sounds exactly what it means. Positive people impact others usually in a positive manner. It is the leaders responsibility to create a positive working environment. Their energy level if negative will also create a negative work environment. So this role is vital, and should be used to build your team up. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency, and credit is rule four. This means that leaders need to be open and allow staff to be open with them to a certain extent.
If a leader knows about an event that will have an impact on his people then he should establish trust with them by letting them know what he can without jeopardizing the situation. By being an open leader you build that trust with your team. A very unpopular rule, number five is leaders must be willing to make unpopular decisions and gut calls. Obviously there are situations where leaders must make decisions without asking for opinions. They can range to small things to organization wide decisions. As leader, one cannot Orr about hurting someone’s feelings or second guess what must really be done.
Leading is never easy and at times will challenge you as an individual. You must keep focus on the mission and make decisions that will not be popular at times. This is a good time for rule number four to come into play as well. For rule number six, this sort of puts you in an informative role where you’re seeking answers to information you do not know. Leaders probe and push with a curiosity. This means that there are times; you are no longer the expert in your office. It is your job to ask questions and learn things including hinge that may not be within your department.
This means that if you have weekly meetings and you get reports but do not understand them, find the people who do and ask questions that will educate you for future meetings. It is okay to ask questions and learn as the leader. Rule number seven states that leaders inspire risk taking and learning by settle examples. TO me this means that leaders allow their employees to take risks and use those periods as times of learning for both the individual and anyone else who can gain knowledge from the event. As a leader, you should always strive to improve our leadership skills and be willing to share that with others through your actions.
If you allow others to take risk, it will in turn grow their self- confidence and their trust in your leadership. To me, rule eight is important in any organization and not just in an office environment. Leaders celebrate, is one way to motivate individuals to push themselves. A good leader is willing to let someone or the team knows they have done a great job. There are numerous ways to do so. In the military we expressed it in many ways such as verbal comments, emails, awards, evaluations, morale events, or even time if.