Introduction
For every organization, there exists a need for employees with the appropriate leadership and management skills. Selecting employees with the appropriate skills ensures the existence of organizational management that can lead, direct, and motivate existing employees to achieve strategic goals (Lumen Learning, Principles of Management, n.d.). Tasty Products, a billion-dollar multinational company, plans to take part in the development, production, and distribution of all-natural flavored protein bars to its new and existing clients. The company requires a new executive vice president who will lead the company to a new division. The candidate for this position has to be an individual who can accomplish many complex leadership and management tasks. Based on the candidates presented by the HR director of the firm, this paper will assess these candidates to identify a new Executive VP for the energy bars division with the appropriate management and leadership skills.
Management Skills
T. J. Max
Management tasks in the new division will include the planning and organization of operations to establish the new division. T.J Max has about 12 years of experience in management activities. One of the main skills that Max displays is the ability to properly plan and organize different organizational resources. Max has had experience in working a variety of management jobs overseeing production. Through the planning and organization skills, Max was able to enhance the level of production of vegetables within the farm. By making several visits to farms, she helped farmers develop a vision, mission, and general operational plan. Through appropriate planning, Max not only ensured that production was stable in these farms but also increased.
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J. C. Penny
J.C Penney, while being an employee of Tasty Products, has had considerable management experience. This experience can be observed through several management skills that he showcases. One of the skills that J.C Penney displays is the ability to be detail-oriented. He does not react immediately to any information or feedback that he receives but instead dives into research before he makes any decision. The second management skill that is dominant in Penney is his administration skill. He holds monthly staff meetings, but generally, these are specific groups on specific topics. In these meetings, he asks specific employees with experience and knowledge in these areas to report on the meetings. Through these meetings, Penney ensures that he is aware of every detail of operations within quality control and production.
L. L. Bean
LL Bean is a founder of his organization, Frozen Heath, which he started 15 years ago. Bean appears to be highly organized, which is observable through his hands-on management style. Bean is increasingly engaged in strategic planning, which has supported the growth of his firm to annual sales of 360 million dollars. Another dominant management skill is being an effective instructor. Bean likes to be constantly immersed concerning what is happening in his business and frequently holds meetings to communicate what he wants to his employees.
Leadership Skills
T. J. Max
T J Max is highly creative, which is evident through her creation of a program in Star Lite foods. She established the Community Communications program as a way to keep farmers updated on farm news that affected the region with the aim of establishing cooperative relationships. Furthermore, a blog and website, along with expanded social media channels, were also structured to supplement this initiative. Through her creativity, she was able to increase the level of collaboration between the farmers. Secondly, Max has also displayed that she has big ideas and encourages change. Leaders with the capability to bring change enable businesses to adapt and thrive in competitive markets (Lumen Learning, Principles of Management, n.d.). While acting as the vice president of product design and marketing, she made several proposals focused on increasing the quality of products.
L. L. Bean
Bean has established himself as a visionary leader who is capable of motivating and inspiring his employees. His skill to establish a vision through meetings where he can interact with his employees and communicate his vision. His ability to be direct also enables the proper understanding of vision by the employees that he has hired. Bean is also highly innovative as he started his firm, Frozen Heath. Bean displayed his innovative skills in moving is standard selling of freshly produced vegetables to supermarkets and food stores that are now marketed and sold across the US and Canada,
J. C. Penny
Penney possesses developmental skills, which are apparent through his focus on the development of employees. Penney provides very hands-on guidance to his employees by clearly expressing what he expects the outcome to be. Penney also has the ability to establish a sense of direction in the operations that he is involved in. He has led several committees to plan new product development and distribution while also hiring highly educated employees. In monthly staff meetings, Penney includes specific groups and has a focus on specific topics, which ensures that his suggestions and recommendations are well-directed.
Leadership Style
L. L. Bean
LL Bean has a task-centered style of leadership, which includes instructing and directing group members to ensure the effective accomplishment of goals. Bean uses a hands-on management approach and is known to direct employees on the tasks they should complete and how they should complete them. His focus and drive are based on an expectation that all employees jump in when tasks need to be completed.
T. J. Max
T J Max also uses a task-centered leadership style. Her creativity and innovation are focused on the establishment of structures and programs that improve the effectiveness of operations. This includes a high level of delegation to employees when making decisions.
J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney uses a leadership style that is both task-centered and employee-centered. Penney is detail-oriented and ensures that specific tasks are conducted based on existing instructions and policies. Penney is also identified to apply policies in an even-handed manner. Additionally, Penney focuses on employee-development, which has enabled the creation of trusting relationships between him and his employees.
Candidate Recommendation
J. C. Penney
The most appropriate candidate for the position of the new executive VP is JC Penney. Tasty Products is looking for an employee who has a range of management and leadership skills that can be used in running a division efficiently and productively. Individuals with excellent management and leadership skills are capable of running the organization effectively, which is essential in achieving its goals (Lumen Learning, Leadership, n.d.). Furthermore, the organization also requires a leader that has an understanding of and supports its cultures and values. Through his experience, Penney indicates knowledge of the business. Based on his 12 years of working in the firm, Penney has a proper understanding of the organization culture by acting as a production manager and, consequently, the Deputy Director of quality control. Penney also possesses past managerial experience in the protein bar operations by acting as a production supervisor. The experience will be essential in running the company’s operations.
Penney is also a highly-motivated individual and motivates others, as can be seen through his focus on the development of employees. He is also identified as an ethical and trustworthy individual, which shows his ability to be an honest and integral leader within the new division. In this case, he will motivate employees in the organization, which will improve their performance and organizational performance (Lumen Learning, Motivation, n.d.). This is important to inspiring trust and confidence from employees, which would be critical for starting and running the new division. Lastly, Penney indicates relational and emotional intelligence as seen by the meetings he runs, his ability to be detail-oriented, and his deep thinking; this will be essential in improving workplace relationships. Through this ability to solve complex technical issues, and his other skills and capabilities, Penney demonstrates the capability to be an innovative and motivational leader along with an effective manager in the new division. According to Lumen Learning (2017), innovation is essential in improving employee productivity and the development of customer value. Additionally, innovation increases efficiency and the production of high-quality products (Lumen Learning, Adapting, and Innovating, n.d.). In this case, Penney’s skills will help increase employee motivation and productivity.
Rejected Candidate
L. L. Bean
While LT Bean showcases an ability to be highly innovative and charismatic, he is highly deficient in his people-driven skills. Bean has been identified to blunt while speaking without reflection. This approach has an adverse impact on his ability to establish collaborative relationships with his employees. Bean seems to be highly authoritative, which may intimidate employees as opposed to encouraging the formation of relationships that would promote beneficial contributions (Lumen Learning, Leadership, n.d.). As the new division will require the establishment of trust and confidence between the employees and the new leader, Bean’s inability to be open and interactive with his employees will affect the development of the division.
T. J. Max
T J Max is a creative leader with effective planning and organization management skills. However, despite the positive effect that his skills have had on the growth of her firm, Star Lite Foods, her deficiency in establishing direction and influence over her employees is a disadvantage. The new division will require proper direction and a leader who can communicate to employees the strategic plans that will be structured (Lumen Learning, Managing Change, n.d.). However, while being known to surround herself with people, Max was also identified as distant when employees sought her opinion. She also preferred to provide minimal guidance to her employees, which may affect the development of strategic plans for the new division.
Conclusion
The executive VP at the new division in Tasty Products has to have an array of management and leadership skills that enable the proper organization and planning of the new operations. Based on the existing needs, this position required an individual that had a task-centered and people-centered style of leadership. JC Penney identifies as the right candidate for the job as not only does he have comprehensive knowledge of the new roles and responsibilities due to his experience, but he also has the style of leadership that is needed to be the executive VP of the new division.
References
Lumen Learning (n.d.).
Principles of Management . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-principlesofmanagement/chapter/primary-functions-of-management/
Lumen Learning (n.d.) . Introduction to Management . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-principlesofmanagement/chapter/why-it-matters-test-page/
Lumen Learning (n.d.). Motivation . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-principlesofmanagement/chapter/why-it-matters-motivation/
Lumen Learning (n.d.). Adapting and Innovating . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-management/chapter/adapting-and-innovating/
Lumen Learning (n.d.). Managing Change for Organizations. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-management/chapter/managing-change-for-organizations/
Lumen Learning (n.d.). Situational Theories of Leadership . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-principlesofmanagement/chapter/situational-theories-of-leadership/
