Erik Junginger - The Ideas and Responses of a Seasoned Executive - Assignment Example

? Running Head: CEO Leadership CEO Leadership The study of leadership is a topic of extreme interest in the academe, thus many theories and research studies have been featured in numerous articles in the academic journals and textbooks. However, theories tend to sanitize and simplify the experiences surrounding the practice of leadership, and in drawing conclusions about leadership the theories tend to compartmentalize what are essentially complex phenomena. This discussion presents the ideas and responses of Mr. Erik Junginger, the top executive of a medium scale shoe manufacturing business. These ideas and experiences were garnered from the practical viewpoint of a seasoned executive, and they were compared with the themes and topics developed in Landing in the Executive Chair and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership. Pursuant to expectations, the interviewee validated aspects of the theories, but unexpectedly and quite importantly, other subjects and themes were explained by Mr, J from a more pragmatic perspective which made complete sense while being consistent with fundamental assertions of the theories. The interviewee qualified what is meant by being humble in the sense of Level 5 Leadership, how leaders should deal with being incomplete leaders without being ignorant leaders, and how luck should be anticipated not only in the positive but also in the negative direction (i.e., good as well as bad luck), so good luck should not be relied upon. The more important quotes from Mr. J were selected and incorporated into the interview report. The research resulted in a wealth of insight from a person whose practical experiences were reconciled with the themes in the article, in a manner that rendered the theories more understandable and their application more plausible in the practice of business. Introduction This interview report is the result of a one-hour face-to-face interview over Skype with Mr. Erik Junginger (henceforth Mr. J), the chief executive of a medium-sized sports and rubber shoe manufacturing firm. The idea to conduct the interview online was the interviewee’s own preference, which the interviewer agreed to. Mr J’s company, EBJ Footwear, Ltd., makes shoes on outsourced orders by larger brand-name shoe manufacturers who regularly outsource some of their less specialized product lines. There are approximately 1,000 employees, 80 per cent of whom are in the various stages of the manufacturing process, and the rest in the administrative, human resources, and marketing functions. The interview undertaken in this assignment intends to draw parallels between the story of the executive being interviewed (i.e., Mr. J), and the central themes discussed during the course, specifically from the material in Landing in the Executive Chair and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership. The aim of the interview is to find if the case validates the central themes chosen, or if the case provides a new perspective on the same themes. The topics chosen were the self-perception as well as perception of the work force, of the executive’s leadership style, F2 Leadership, and luck in leadership (topics from Landing in the Executive Chair), and Level 5 Leadership, Crucibles of Leadership, and Incomplete Leadership (topics from HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership). Self-Perception of Leadership Style When asked to describe his management style, Mr. J paused for a moment and after some introspection, replied that he felt his management style was somewhere in between the democratic and autocratic styles. He justified, ‘Since I lead a business with more than 1,000 rank and file workers mostly in a manufacturing environment, I am concerned that a show of too much liberality will convey the idea to the workers that they may slacken in their performance.” Mr. J explained that the nature of the job is one of precision. ‘If one section of one plant, say the section that makes the shoes’ uppers, does not deliver the proper quota or the right quality, then that means that the PVC injection section will not have work the following day, because the uppers should be inserted to the moulds before the PVC is injected.’ Because of the need to impress the workers, some of whom have barely completed secondary education, that their tasks should be regimented to the extent that schedules and quality standards have to be strictly met. This does not mean, says Mr. J, that he should be viewed as a taskmaster. He encourages inputs from the managers in the planning of the production schedule, and he seeks their commitment to the final plans they arrive at after their inputs have been included. ‘I rely on my management team for their judgments, but we have to come to an agreement where everybody commits to perform, and I hold them to that commitment. To that extent, I am democratic.’ Followers’ Perception of Leadership Style The preceding being said, did the employees see Mr. J as a necessarily a leader treading the line between a strict and a benign leadership style? ‘I think so,’ Mr. J averred. ‘When I call my managers to account, they feel the urgency in the work, and convey the importance to the employees. It’s all about the work, I tell them, and if they work hard, reach the quota, and cut costs, then I am the first to announce performance bonuses and recognitions for those deserving. I am with them in the shops; I believe in walking the work floor, partly to be visible, but more importantly to see first-hand the conditions under which our people are working, and to get ideas how policies may be worked out to improve performance and remove barriers.’ Mr. J was confident that his workers understand that some rules are strict because there is a need for them to be, but they are also aware that they can make recommendations for improvement which they know he will consider. F2 Leadership The way Mr. J described his leadership style was a combination of democratic (more appropriately benign or populist) and autocratic (better described as strict or standard-regulated) styles. When asked whether or not he was a fair but firm leader, he said, ‘Exactly. Fairness means that you ask of your worker only that which they could reasonably be able to render given the conditions they work in. That is the reason why I am also strict with providing the right physical, psychological, and motivational working conditions. Look, the business operates to attain certain goals. If the goals are consistently not attained and the company keeps losing money, then the business has no reason to exist; it’s like committing suicide. So workers have to understand that they should perform according to the standards agreed upon between us so that we reach the goals, and I am committed to giving them the needed support to reach those goals. It’s a win-win situation all around.’ Mr. J made it apparent, however, that fairness should not always mean siding with workers even where they are at fault, and cites the case of tardiness. ‘There are people who are late once in three months or even less frequently, so you would tend to believe them when they say it was due to unusual traffic or a family emergency. But if the worker is late three times a month or more frequently, and he or she uses the same excuse, then you tend to have doubts. We are a manufacturing business so we can’t do flexi-time, but when a worker has real scheduling problems such as single mothers, they are allowed to choose the shift they could promise they would be able to come in regularly, and they are given priority this way. But once they are allowed to make their choice, they should be held to it. Fair but firm does not mean fair only and forgetting the firm. They go together.’ Level 5 Leadership Mr. J laughed when asked whether he was a Level 5 leader and upon understanding that Level 5 leadership means personal humility while remaining tenacious on the job. ‘I don’t know about humble. I wouldn’t describe myself as humble, in the sense of being meek and mild, you know.’ Mr. J scratched his head and rubbed his chin, giving the question some thought. ‘No, I honestly can’t say that I’m humble. But then I don’t give much time and attention aggrandizing myself either. I enjoy some attention, like what you’re giving me now, but while I don’t hide from it, I don’t seek it out either. Moreover, while I would enjoy buying a nice car, I do so for the performance, not the monetary value, and definitely won’t buy it if the company is doing badly because it makes me, the executive, a bad example.’ He then said, ‘I think you should rethink the way you define humility there. A good leader is confident about himself, and that confidence usually shows. It has to show because it should inspire confidence among the workers. And I just cannot reconcile the usual meaning of humility with self-confidence in a way that it shows, you know.’ Crucibles of Leadership Mr. J could relate many incidents in his life, but there was one which had been most important in defining his style of leadership. ‘I started out in my father’s business, a convenience store in the beautiful city of Dresden in Germany. In my late teens, I was already taking care of the inventory and attending to the customers while my sister manned the cash register. That is the advantage of children of business owners, we get an insight into how the business serves people and how important it is for the customers and the community to have a good relationship with the business. It was just past midnight at one time when I was the only one in the store. We were closed and I was just finishing up going over the inventory and the orders we were supposed to make for the next day, when I was surprised by a sudden pounding on the door. I saw the young man, maybe in his mid-twenties, and thought that he might need some help. Foolishly, I unlocked the door, only to be faced with a fan knife of some sort that the man whipped from his jacket. I was never more scared in my life!’ Mr. J went on to relate that he was confused about what to do, particularly since most of the money was already removed from the register and put in the safe. Was the man going to be angry when he found out, and maybe stab him out of frustration? It seemed like forever, but only a few seconds after, an alert community watch volunteer came to the door with policemen, who rushed the perpetrator; apparently, he saw what happened and quickly alerted the police who, to their credit, were quick to respond. ‘I learned two things that time. One is to not be too stupid to open the door to a stranger in the middle of the night, after closing time. The other is to look for those whom you can trust. People are not the same; there are those who are out to harm you, and but luckily there are those – more of them, actually – who have your back, who are ready to help you even without thought of compensation. Ever since this incident, I have had a strong belief in the community, and in the way the people surrounding the business are part of the success of the business. That is the reason why even now, I make it a point to work with the community surrounding our manufacturing plants even if they are not our target market (since we manufacture for outsourcing). If the community is healthy and has enough resources to operate well, I believe we have a more secure and safe environment. We must have a mutually beneficial relationship with our communities.’ Incomplete Leadership In his mid-fifties, Mr. J explains that he has had many experiences, and that his management style is still a work-in-progress. ‘I am not an MBA or a schooled manager, I learned through experience. I am more of a practitioner, so when you asked me about these theories just now, I have to give it some thought first and translate your theory to what it means to me in my experience.’ Mr. J then explained that all his experiences, since he was a teenager in his father’s store until now that he has his own manufacturing firm, all contributed and still continue to contribute to his knowledge of management. ‘Managing a business is like walking a tightrope; it’s tough enough to balance, but then you have to walk to the other end and reach the goal. The goal is not to balance on the wire because it’s not getting you anywhere; you have to reach the other side. And each time the wind blows, you have to recover your balance while keeping the other end in mind.’ For Mr J, winds are always blowing, meaning that the manager will always have to take steps to recover his balance, so he has to continually learn new things. ‘One cannot know everything; that’s absurd. But it does not mean that you cannot find ways to acquire the knowledge you need to get the business through. There’s so much technology now, but then there are also many people who make it their business to know these things. As a manager, I look for these people, but then I make it also a point to know enough to tell what among their recommendations are good for my company and which are not. It’s not good to be at the mercy of people who know more than you do about a process or technology. Nobody can know more about your business than you.’ Mr. J concludes on this topic: ‘Yes, I am an incomplete leader, but it should not be a justification for me to be an ignorant leader.’ Reliance on Luck There was much humour during the discussion on luck, or as Dr. Henman (2011) on page 8 calls it, ‘Lady Luck.’ Certainly, Mr. J did not mean any prejudicial slur against women when he said: ‘The Lady is rather fickle towards me.’ He was alluding to the difficulty on relying upon luck in his case, so that he would ‘prefer not to count on chips falling in the right places by themselves’ at the crucial times. ‘My motto has always been to do everything that I can do in any one day, to the best of my abilities, and if it was not enough then maybe God whom I believe in could fill in the rest if it be divine will. Luck? Hmmm, I would prefer to ensure through my efforts that the minimum acceptable level has been ensured. I figure that if I had to rely on luck to reach minimum acceptable level, then I am remiss in my duty to manage the situation. In fact, I would prefer to aim at a level higher than minimum, because if luck can happen in your favour, then by the same logic luck can just as likely turn against you, so you need that extra margin of performance to just barely keep you safe.’ Conclusion There is much that has surfaced as a result of the interview that shed new light on the way the topics form the two articles may be understood. Mr. J has a pragmatic view of his leadership style, and he understands that employees would expect him to have both ‘good’ (favourable) and ‘bad’ (unfavourable) leadership traits, but even the unfavourable traits must also be seen as necessary. It is important that the leader must balance fairness with firmness, and for the followers to understand this is better for them and the company (‘Fair but firm does not mean fair only and forgetting the firm. They go together’- Mr. J). As for Level 5 leadership, humility should not mean self-deprecation, but simply not pursuing celebrity status where doing so interferes with the running of the business. The business must be the focus of attention, not the businessman. Other than this, the executive must have sufficient confidence in himself to know that he is capable of running the business, because if not, who else will? He must also project this confidence to the people around him. Mr. J also values his experiences, which all contribute to his continuing evolution as a business executive, although crucibles have stronger impacts. For Mr. J, his big lesson from experience was that the community is an extension of the business, and for the business to prosper the community it serves must also prosper. It also goes without saying that all leaders are incomplete in some way, which allows for their continual growth and evolution, but incomplete does not excuse any leader from being ignorant. Finally, luck is a good thing to have, but should not be depended on. After all, luck swings both ways, and by its very nature luck is unpredictable. References Ancona, D; Malone, T.W.; Orlikowski, W.J.; & Senge, P.M., In Praise of the Incomplete Leader, (1998) in HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Harvard Business Review, 2000, p. 108 Bennis, W G & Thomas, R J (1998) Crucibles of Leadership, in HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Harvard Business Review, 2000, p. 60 Collins, J (1998) Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve, in HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Harvard Business Review, 2000, p. 70 Henman, L (2011) Landing in the Executive Chair. Career Press, Inc., ISBN 1601631537 Appendix Interview Notes 1. In general, most employees describe their leaders as “kind” or “mean” – for management students, we say that the leader is either democratic or autocratic. Of course, there are many other types of leaders, such as charismatic and bureaucratic leaders. Overall, how do you describe yourself as a leader? 2. How do your employees see you as a leader? In what ways can you tell how they perceive your leadership? 3. The fair but firm or F2 leadership model, developed by Dr. Linda D. Henman (2011), describes leaders who commit themselves to developing a close relationship with their employees, while at the same time maintaining their commitment to task accomplishment. Would you describe yourself as an F2 leader, and why or why not? 4. Another model, called the Level 5 Leadership, was described by Jim Collins (2000) in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) as the highest level in a hierarchy of executive capabilities. The Level 5 leader is one who combines extreme personal humility with a resolute attitude and intense professional will while getting the job done. Would you describe yourself as a Level 5 leader? 5. Bennis and Thomas (2000) of the HBR wrote about crucibles of leadership, and defined this as those experiences that shape leaders’ values, attitudes, assumptions and judgments, and which define the kind of leaders they become. Do you have such an experience? Could you share it with us? 6. An HBR article by Ancona, Malone, Orlikowski and Senge (2000) talks about the Incomplete leader. This approach to leadership requires the leader to admit that he or she is not flawless, but has both strengths and weaknesses, so they would be able to effectively make up for the skills they are lacking in by relying on others. Are there any weaknesses which you acknowledge you possess? How do you cope with them? 7. Finally, do you rely on luck in your management style? If yes, in what way? How do you address the unforeseeable? Read More