manager not employing high ethical leadership qualities

The key issue and difficulty identified in the case study are that the manager does not have high ethical leadership skills, which is demonstrated by discouraging his employees’ objectives of achieving future leadership in the firm. According to Jeffrey Pfeffer’s article in the Havard Business, which serves as our case study, Adam Baker, an employee of Straus Event Specialists, feels unfairly treated by his boss Straus Merwyn when he denies him a CEO position in a new firm that the company has acquired. Baker feels entitled to the position since he was the one who discovered the new hotel chains that were being sold at a fair price and convinced his boss of the profits they could make from the new business venture. In this paper, I am going to talk about the challenges faced by the manager of the organization and what he could have done in such a case. Faced with such a problem a course of action is needed.

In this case, I would recommend the manager to have training o emotional intelligent which will help him to understand the employee’s feelings on the various decision he makes. I also suggest that the boss work on the GROW model help him solve the issues present, and also contribute to improving the business at large. Therefore concerning the article, the manager should consider giving the position to Baker, apparently because he came up with the idea but also because of his previous experience in the field at Tallyrymple where he once failed. Baker has obviously learnt from his past experiences and given another shot in the field he will obviously be better. What Straus would have done is to put Baker at the helm of the new company and closely work with him leading him as he explores the new field. It would have been a win-win situation.

Problem Statement

The biggest issue faced by the manager of the organization is doing things unethically. The employee faces an enormous problem of finding difficulties in making good decisions since he is distressful after receiving a short message from his boss (Shavinina 225-235). It affects him psychologically, and this can lead to underperformance shortly. Considering the article Baker is faced with a hard decision to make in this case. He clearly knows that the job should be his and though his boss knows that, he apparently thinks otherwise. Baker knows how great Straus has been in his development so far and he is not ready to throw it all away. The only thing his boss says stands between him and this job is his history. The manager, on the other hand, is faced with a hard decision to make too; Baker has been a trusted employee whom he terms as a son to him. He does very well to spot a great business opportunity which will bring in good profits for the company. In every possible way, Baker Best suits the job in hand except his history with the last company Baker worked for as CEO. Therefore, history stands between Baker and a job he wants, this he cannot change anything about it. If Baker leaves his current job he becomes jobless until he gets another job, this is just short term implication to his career. The big problem here is that he will lose Merwyn who has vital position due to his connections in the field. This he knows is paramount to his career than even the current job he is desperately fighting to get. Another problem arising is the breach of trust between Baker and Straus. If Straus does not give Baker the job, it means he still doubts his capabilities which do not settle well with his friends. Kaleb’s wife urges Baker to be aggressive in getting the job. According to the executive, for some time now some people have taken in the impression that leaders who are robust and aggressive get the job done and are more desirable, than “likeable,” or simple people who are viewed to be weak. According to Sir Richard Branson, during an interview in a business newspaper, when a question was posed to him asking if aggression is a significant tool for a business success, he replied by giving an adage which states that Virgin is lucky “since everyone is involved in a comprehensive way instead of an aggressive or negative way.” Kaleb’s wife chooses a rather aggressive approach to the issue than Baker who can be termed as the “nice guy” in this case.

Cause of the Problem

Straus is forced to make a very hard decision whether to hire his number two for the future job in the new business venture. He decides not to hire Baker because of his past failure in the hotel business. Baker is described by Pfeffer as young, smart, loyal, and present. He is not that aggressive guy whom many people prefer in business. In a Fast Company article, Marshall Goldsmith also reasons that ”all other things being constant, your skills often distinguish how superior you become. He says that to be smart is not enough; you have to be smart in addition to something else.“ In this case, Baker lacks that something else, that aggressiveness that the field needs. Let’s take an example of two people looking for a job in a driving company, both have their driving licenses, but one happens to have vehicle mechanical skills. The one with two skills will obviously have the edge over the other one. Baker’s former company Tallyrimple nearly became bankrupt because while Baker tried using all the right methods, his competitor who is deemed to be more aggressive used unethical methods including cash payments and threats of exclusion to secure service providers (Pfeffer 248). According to the social psychologist at the University of California, who make arguments that people gather more respect and influence by being more generous. Additionally, they say those who narrow their interest are excluded. Bringing us back to the central question in the case study, do the sweet and smart guys always finish first? In this case not.

Decision Tests and Alternative Solutions

Many criteria may be used to make decisions in this case. It depends on the time, cost and management. Some of the criteria which are considered in this contexts include; first the purpose of the decision has the mission of the business should come first, and the particular consideration should be considered the last option (Willer 23). Other criteria in making decision uses the timeline to execution. It involves both the internal and the external influences which shape the way of execution within a provided period. Also, the resource accessibility is a criterion which can be used in making decision in a business context as it depends on the cost and resources available of execution (Willer 35). Both parties have to make decisions while taking keen consideration of these factors. Possible judgments in this context include; hiring Baker as the new CEO which would obviously have its merits and demerits. It would be timely and suitable for the management since Baker can be trusted and he understands how the company runs. On the downside, Baker is not an aggressive guy who probably will not survive for long in the field. Not hiring Baker is another decision that could be made. He will apparently not feel good, but it will save another fail since he will not be exposed to the flat and aggressive field, although it will entail hiring a new CEO for the new venture which means extra cost for the company (Pfeffer 249). The possible pros in using appropriate criteria in decision making can be a better comfort of the employees to the enterprise, secondly is lower serving costs thus reducing the expenditures, its’ better for the team or organisation and better reliability. On the other hand, if the criteria in making decision are not appropriate then possible cons that might affect the group includes; difficulty in getting higher insurance, time and hassle to choose products and to purchase them. The poor decisions also scare the employees reducing their performance.

Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification

The different recommendation can be implored by leaders after making poor decisions this includes understanding how different people make decisions since humans are prone ion automatic, emotional and instinctive responses (Matsuno 1-16). Also one need to identify the issues responsible for making the decision so as to determine if the decision he might make is the best and of great significant to everybody. Furthermore, the leader needs to identify causes to why the decision should be made this includes biasedness of extreme confidence in making the decision. Also, leaders also need to diagnose the start point of the poorly made decision so as to start planning for a fresh solution. Personally, I would recommend that Adam Baker should get the new job as the CEO in the new business venture. It is because firstly, he spotted the opportunity and worked so hard to make it a business venture. Secondly, having worked as a CEO of Tallyrimple which failed and nearly faced bankruptcy, I believe he has learnt enough lessons along the way despite his young age. Thirdly, he understands the way the company runs, and he will not need any time to adjust to the system (Pfeffer 250). By appointing Adam Baker as CEO of the new venture the manager will maintain the trust between him and his employee. The research by Jon Bohlmann and Rob Handfield of North Carolina State University, Bohlmann explains ”if you think you are being treated well, you are going to work well with others on your team.“

Works Cited

Chaney, Cassandra, and Ray V. Robertson. ” Can We All Get Along?“ Blacks’ Historical and Contemporary (In) Justice With Law Enforcement.” Western Journal of Black Studies 38.2 (2014): 108.

Matsuno, Ken, and John T. Mentzer. “The effects of strategy type on the market orientation-performance relationship.” Journal of Marketing 64.4 (2000): 1-16.

Pfeffer, Jeffrey. “Fighting the war for talent is hazardous to your organisation’s health.” Organizational Dynamics 29.4 (2001): 248-259.

Shavinina, Larisa V. “Micro‐social factors in the development of entrepreneurial giftedness: the case of Richard Branson.” High Ability Studies 17.2 (2006): 225-235.

Willer, Robb. “Groups reward individual sacrifice: The status solution to the collective action problem.” American Sociological Review 74.1 (2009): 23-43.