Leading the Team You Inherit

Central Theme: The central theme is understanding the importance of figuring out how to work effectively with the team you inherit. In this instance, an organization was previously led by someone else and was not producing the results that were expected. For this reason, top management, the CEO, or the board of directors decided to replace the acting Vice President. In this chapter, David Benet, takes over the highest-growth unit at a large medical devices company. Although sales were increasing due to two new products being launched, the previous Vice President was not the reason for the growing business. There were underlying problems with his lead. The company’s future was hinging on the sale of both products – an instrument for inserting stents into blocked arteries and an electronic implant for stabilizing cardiac rhythm. These sales would result in short term revenue, but long-term profits were at stake. The team was failing under the lead of the previous Vice President. There were stories about missed opportunities and a toxic work environment. If management is doing a poor job creating a clear mission statement for a business, employees and sales are going to be affected. David Benet is facing a battle similar to fixing a car that is in drive. He is tasked with the job of fixing what is wrong with the team while maintaining the employees it currently has. It would take longer to hire new employees and train from scratch opposed to assessing the current work status and setting a new direction for the employees he has now. Letting go of staff can also look bad in the eyes of current personnel and put a strain on an already bad work culture. Most team building framework goes based on the idea that you get to hand pick your members and set the direction from day one. In this case Benet does not have that luxury. He must work with what was handed to him and do his best to establish credibility while simultaneously increasing work moral. In guiding this transition there must be a framework in place. First leaders must assess the current state of the organization. This is done by talking to the employees he has, figuring out what the underlining problems are, and assessing his human capital. Then, he must reshape the team according to what is needed. Lastly, Benet must accelerate team development by looking for opportunities to further the business and integrate his new company culture. Critical Analysis: Assessing an organization starts by getting to know your team immediately. It is important to build trust early on, so staff feels comfortable sharing about the unsettling work dynamic. It will also set the stage and make it easier to determine if you have the right people in the right job for the organization. There is a lot of work to do in a little amount of time, so it is best for a newly appointed manager or leader to clearly state the criteria they are looking for. Being ambiguous because you are afraid to ruffle some feathers is not the way to go. Let your employees know what is expected of them now that there is new management. It is important that all employees are up to speed on what is going on. There is no time for skill building when trying to reroute an organization. Being a leader over a certain period you develop a gut feeling as to what you are looking for in employees. Although, certain desired attributes change for the position that is being filled. During the assessing process a key factor is determining which positions are vital to the company’s success, and ensuring the right people are executing that job. This may involve relocating staff to fit their strengths or creating groups where being a team works best. The next step to turning around a business is reshaping the team. This is done by evaluating employee performance and observing any red flags. For example, Carlos, the VP of surgical sales, has the longest tenure with the company and is good friends with the CEO. His performance on the new product was weak and he micromanaged employees. Carlos undermined work moral and did not work well in a team. Benet realized that Carlos was undermining the new company culture and decided he had to leave. Benet offered him a generous early retirement and offered to retrain most of his tenured employees who have been with the company for more than five years. The last step involves integrating his new company culture. This includes setting ground rules and offering rewards to sustain the new work behavior. Benet was now the organizations role model, he led by example and quickly gained rapport among the employees. By reshaping the sales team Benet was able to increase sales giving needed funding to the business. In doing so, he was given the respect and tools to further the uphill progression. He also set clear key elements of trust within his leadership. These included, “Confidence that all team members have the capabilities to do their jobs, Transparency in sharing information, Belief that commitments will be honored, Security that confidences will be maintained, and Unity around decisions once people agree to them.” (pg 31) With this structure, David Benet was able to continue the growth of the organization, secure additional resources, expand the sales force and exceed salary limits to hire new employees. Main Takeaways: I think this article is important because it teaches valuable lessons that can and most likely will occur in my work career. It is unlikely that when I move up to management, I will be able to cherry pick all the employees that work for me. In a perfect world maybe, but not in real life. The author, Michael D. Watkins gives an up-close look at what may take place when moving to a new organization. The newly appointed Vice President in this article, David, was given a hard task that could not have been a success without with the proper training. I hope to be able to do as he as done and take a struggling organization and turn it around. Overseeing many people is a hard task in itself, add to the fact that you are new to the business and it is spiraling downhill. Many would stray away from the sinking ship although being able to take charge and pull people together is a highly sought-after skill. Benet acted as a catalyst to get his employees moving. He saw the problem in the organization, found ways to eliminate the toxic work environment, and encouraged employees to work as a team. Reading about Benet’s’ successful efforts gives me motivation to further my education and prioritize stepping out of my comfort zone. I know that nothing worth while comes easy. Hard work and dedication can get your far in life. David Benet has shown me that can be a reality with his perseverance and commitment.