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Case Study:
Chain Store Retailer
High Stress:
The disease that cuts productivity in half. The corporate nemesis that turns great employees into the walking dead and makes the workplace a living hell.
The Challenges:
- Reversing toxic forms of leadership that cause an over-stressed environment.
- Sparking new enthusiasm and ideas through delegating.
This company started as a mom and pop operation and grew to include the challenges of running a multi-location concern. Rapid growth brought the curses of management by crisis, inconsistent systems, and micro-management, causing a high level of stress.
The owner began his change efforts with a courageous admission -- that his own leadership style would be the primary determining factor in reducing stress and increasing productivity.
During the initial The Pathways to Leadership®
program, he was able to identify two key leadership pitfalls
that created an inordinate amount of stress within the team
-- his own micromanaging of the staff and the manner in which
he communicated company guidelines and objectives. Ironically,
his old dictatorial approach created both dependency and resentment,
which resulted in tremendous stress for all parties. He learned
a new way of relating to his team that empowered them to take
their assignments to completion while building an atmosphere
of trust and respect.
Of course the program is not a quick fix. Change didn't
happen overnight but the follow-up process (POIS)
helped him integrate these new skills over time. As a result,
he was able to delegate the position of General Manager and
the duty of Merchandising to key team leaders, freeing his
time considerably.
"Communication at all levels has improved, we now work well
as a team, and the stress level has dropped significantly. Sales
have doubled since the staff went through Pathways to Leadership,
and sales are in the process of doubling again this year."
Owner
Tools and Concepts
Note: The following steps represent only a few of the
key concepts and tools applied in this case study.
- The owner applied the Big 6 of Degrees of Strength, first personally
and then in all of his leadership capacities. This is a
checklist managers can use to clarify their leadership roles.
- Another key concept put to work was the 3 Ways of Giving Guidelines that generates independent, capable employees as well as strong buy-in for company objectives. There are several key elements to this style of delegation.
- Focusing primarily on what the team members were doing right, as opposed to where they were falling short, building trust and significantly reduced workplace tension.
- Company guidelines and objectives were communicated in a positive framework. The staff was instructed what to do -- not what not to do.
- Explaining clearly what was expected, by when, and why, but not detailing how to go about accomplishing the objective. This strategy challenged and involved staff to come up with their own solutions and greatly reduced micromanagement.
- The owner was not one to avoid problems in his business. He said "No" in no uncertain terms when necessary, using the 4 Keys to Saying "No." Now, however, he addressed problems in a way that built his team rather than undermined it.
Learn more about the Pathways to
Leadership programs.
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Poor Morale