Case Study #2

James R. Steiner
Eric Galan
Due: 03/26/2015

1. Evaluate Steiners strengths & weaknesses.

James Steiner was a very solid employee, which is something your really
cant take away from him. He had many strengths, as well as, weaknesses.
Despite everything he was very productive and needed minimal guidance to be
successful. His performance speaks volumes for his work ethic, but despite a
great work ethic there are many factors we must evaluate before reaching the
next level of our careers. On a 10-point scale, I would give James a 7 in overall
performance, attitude, and work ethics.
James Steiners strengths were:
1. He had a strong knowledge of what it takes to be a good sales person.
2. He is very confident
3. He has an ability to develop strong relationships with clients and
developing client base.
4. He has a strong organizational skills in territory management
5. He is consistent.
James Steiners weakness were:
1. He is very pessimistic.
2. He constantly compares himself to others.
3. He is very pessimistic.
4. When he is not happy he transfers positions or pursues other
employment.
5. He takes work home and doesnt know how to separate the two.
James has expressed his strong knowledge of what it takes to be successful
in a sales driving environment and has shown consistently that he produces. He
has shown that he can be successful within different facets of his company within
sales, whether in the clinical division or the pacemaker division. His confidence
has shown to be very beneficial in the development of his clientele and territory
management. Territory management being very important, he has shown that his
organizational skills are noteworthy and are essential for success in an outside
sales environment.
Despite his strengths there are things that may be holding him back from
growth. He seems to have a very pessimistic attitude throughout this entire case
study. He has consistently compared himself to his peers, as well as, him
management staff. He expresses a sense of entitlement in which if he is not
happy he is easily willing to either transfer to another division or quit. With his
frustrations with work, it bleeds into his personal life because he doesnt know
how to leave his work at home.
Overall he is an asset to his employer and it seems that they rely on him to
help generate the needed sales to reach their goals. Though they arent directly
praising his every sale, they are allowing him the autonomy to be successful
because he has shown that he can do without direct supervision. He does need
to understand that there is room for growth; he just needs to put the same effort
in pursuing the DM position as he does in his sales.

2. Evaluate Don Bozes strengths & weaknesses.

Don Boze, was a seeming hands off manger when it came to working with
James Steiner. Don relied on James to help push sales in the 4 th quarter when
sales were lacking knowing that James would pull through for him. From what
James described he did focus on other employees than needed more guidance
or coaching to develop their territories. Don didnt focus on James because he
was reaching his numbers. With that said Don had his own strengths and
weaknesses. On a 10-point scale, I would give Don an 8 in overall performance,
attitude, and work ethics.
Don Bozes strengths were:
1. He was frank and honest.
2. He went to bat for his people in the field.
3. He focused his effort on individuals he knew would need more help
developing their territory or generating sales.
Don Bozes weaknesses were:
1. He argued a lot when he felt something wasnt right.
2. He didnt focus on motivating his sales team.
3. He focused only on dollar sales and not developing his people.
As District Manager, you not only have to manage your district, but you also
have to manage the individuals within that district which is not an easy task. Don
has proven to be a strong district manager in my opinion. The strengths listed
about are very important and essential to management. Though his frankness
and honesty can be considered weaknesses to others, I feel that it is nothing but
strength. It puts the BS aside offers up transparency. You cant have a
successful business if you dont know what is truth. My most respected
managers were those people who put all the cards out on the table. Managers
must be respected to be trusted. With Don, you knew he would go to bat for you,
if he felt his people out in the field need to be backed up. Going to bat for your
team reinforces loyalty within the ranks. He also allocated his strongest
employees the autonomy needed to develop their own territories. He focuses his
efforts on those individuals that were not performing or needed more coaching.
Many good managers can have amazing strengths, but still have areas of
opportunity. Don was seemingly a hot head, when he did not feel something was
right he could be argumentative. Arguing can be something that can really hurt
your career. Diplomacy is key. Another weakness that Don needed to work on
was he didnt really motivate his team. He didnt really give that kick in the butt
that James needed from time to time. I guess he though, if it isnt broken dont fix
it. Don also really didnt focus on developing his team for the next level
something that is a weakness that should be worked on. He was more dollars
driven. It is good to focus on sales, but retention of good employees starts with
them knowing that you can groom them for the next level.

3. Explain why, or why not, Steiner should accept the DSM position if
offered to him?
James Steiner should definitely take the position should it be offered to him.
Though James may not have the experience for the position now, the company
must see the skills necessary to extend an official offer. Like district managers
before him, in the beginning they may not have had the experience for the job.
They had to learn from doing the job. Its all about rising to the occasion.
I would never turn down a promotion just because of lack of experience. How
will you ever get experience if you never work for it? Sometimes we dont see
what others see in us. I truly believe you always have to accept a step up if you
have shown that you have reached ultimate success at your present level. James
has obviously shown this in his working in two different divisions and being top
sales in both. He can grow from this transition to management. He will see it
might not be that hard of a transition. There may be some bumps in the road, but
he can only grow from it.
On the same token, James will have to humble himself in the transition. He
will learn that from the management side, his managers when managing with the
best interest of the company in mind putting focus where it needed to be. He can
also implement the things he felt needed to be addressed and develop processes
that can benefit his future team. He will have to humble himself and understand
that it is all in the growth process.
Throughout the case study James seemed misguided and delusional in his
thought process when it came to getting promoted. James felt that his company
had a responsibility to come to him with an offer for the position without him
actively pursuing it. How were they ever to know you want something if you dont
ask for it? Looked to me that when Don approached him with the information that
he was leaving the company he was letting James know that there was an
opportunity to for him in not so many words. All he needed to do was work for it.
Work performance is an important thing to consider when reviewing a
candidate. They cant review your performance for the position if they dont even
know you want the position. James is such a go-getter with sales, why cant he
just put that same effort into himself. Thought confidence is a strength for James
it borderlines as cocky and in turn a weakness. Its blinding him from seeing the
things he needs to do to get what he wants. If he does get past that then I think
he will be perfect for the position. I feel like he has the grass roots for what is
needed to be successful. He just needs to get out of his own way. The sky is the
limit, if he doesnt like it he can just resort to what he has done in the past, just go
back to just selling.