LEADERSHIP-1
Each question is worth 33.33%. Please use course content.
Questions:
1.a) Contrast the different approaches Dan Boyd and Wesley Simpson take with low performing
employees. Which do you think is more effective? b) Do you think there is a difference between being a
manager and being a leader? Why or why not? If so, how are they different?
2.How has Boyd been able to accomplish so much in such a little time? Why has Simpson not been able
to?
4.Identify Mark Jensen’s options for addressing this issue. Analyze the benefits and risks of each
option. Be sure to consider how each option affects Simpson, Boyd and Jensen (individually and their
relationships), as well as how the other employees at the store may react. What would you
advise Jensen to do and how should he go about doing it? Please be specific.
Mark Jensen, the owner and general manager of House, Hearth and Home, a large
hardware, furniture and building centre, faced a dilemma about whether his long-time
yard manager, Wesley Simpson, was still the right person for the job. The business
increasingly depended on providing superior customer service in order to compete in
the market. Recently, Jensen had placed a personal friend, Dan Boyd, in the operation
as an assistant to the yard manager. This new addition had shown a real talent for
developing employees and driving performance improvements. As a result, customer
service feedback had drastically improved. Jensen realized that the assistant had
become the real leader of the yard. He wondered how to keep the momentum of the
changes going while still showing due respect to a loyal employee. On his way to the
front of the store to check out the new displays, Jensen paused as he looked down at
the name displayed on the ringing cell phone attached to his belt. He groaned
inwardly when he realized the caller was Brody Graham, an important but hard-to–
please customer. Graham was not shy about calling Jensen directly when his store
failed to deliver in any way. As owner and general manager, Jensen had some
experience with disgruntled customers whose complaints often landed on his lap.
Although it was impossible to keep every customer fully satisfied every day, each
member of his staff was asked to do just that. Customer service had become
increasingly important to Jensen as big box hardware and building centres kept
popping up everywhere. The sheer buying power of these goliaths made it difficult to
compete with them on some aspects, but, in the opinion of some, their size led to
certain weaknesses. For instance, they were so cavernous, it often seemed that there
were too few people in place to wait on potential customers. House, Hearth and Home
offered a much more intimate shopping experience, and this was its key differentiator
from these powerful competitors. With the recent economic downturn, Jensen was
more mindful than ever that his customers had plenty of other retail options, so that
exceeding their expectations was the only way to stay competitive. He felt confident
that good customer service would keep people rolling in. With annual sales of over
$20 million, there was evidence that his strategy was sound. So, even though he
expected an earful of complaints from Graham, Jensen tried to insert a smile in his
voice as he answered the phone. He began the conversation with a compliment:
“Brody! How are you doing? The other day I drove by those houses you’re building
— they are looking really nice!” To Jensen’s surprise, Graham’s reply was positively
jovial: “They are going together good. Can I talk you into buying one or two? You
always charge me the contractor rate, so for my number one supplier, I’ll give you the
supplier discount!” Chuckling, Jensen answered, “Think I’ll pass this time, but thanks
for the offer. Now what problem can I take care of for you today?” As he spoke,
Jensen walked over to the service desk so he would have a hard surface on which to
write. Chances were that Graham was perturbed that something had not been
delivered on time. It would help to jot down the order number so he could track what
was holding it up. As a contractor, Graham relied on House, Hearth and Home to
deliver building materials on a just-in-time basis. When the proper material was not
