Breitt, Starr & Diamond Llc

Summary

The case study discusses the issue of the leadership style of the general manager of operations in Breitt, Starr & Diamond LLC. BS&D is and advertising agency.  It serves the needs of small businesses. It’s owned by the partners named Josh Breitt, Rachel Starr, and Justin Diamond.  Each of the partners contributes to the company. As the firm grew, the three partners felt they need to hire a general manager. They hired Brad Howser for the said position.  As time went by the employees were not happy with the leadership style of the general manager. They left the firm one after another.

There are three questions has been asked in the case. The first question is the most effective leadership style for the ad agency. The second question is the type of leadership does the general manager Brad Howser Exhibit and finally, as students what type of leadership style we possess and how it may change our prospective.

Q1) Assume hiring general manager for operations was good idea what leadership style would be most effective

The best leadership style in Brad Howser situation would be Laissez-Faire Leadership.

Laissez-Faire is French for “leave it be,” and this style of leadership describes a situation where team members are allowed to work on their own. Brad could have given  total freedom to the workers and let them set their own milestones and deadlines. He could monitor their works and give advices when needed. This style, compared to the others, may seem a bit loosey-goosey, it can be a very effective leadership style provided leaders give feedback and monitor performances on a regular basis. This style works well with team members such as salespeople who needed flexible working hours for his childcare arrangements.

Q2)  What leader behaviors did Brad Howser exhibit? How well do they fit the needs of the ad agency?

The leader behavior that Brad Howser exhibited was Task Performance behavior. This type of leadership behavior requires getting the job done. Therefore, he was so strict about observing regulations and giving instructions. He didn’t give the workers flexibility of the working hours even though it was necessary for their daily life. As a reason of that the workers quit their jobs one by one.  The above mentioned leadership behavior didn’t fit the needs of the ad agency as the strictness of the manager couldn’t fit the workers daily routine.  

Q3) Consider your own leadership style. What are some of your tendencies, and how you might change your perspective?

I would like to choose people oriented leadership. People-oriented leaders are positive. They have optimistic views of the world and their roles in it. They are rarely cynical, even under the most difficult circumstances. People-oriented leaders are self-assured. They foster relationships throughout their lives by building and maintaining personal networks. This quality often makes people-oriented leaders successful. When blended with other leadership styles, such as transformational, people-oriented leaders can accomplish amazing feats. When we implement people-oriented leadership, the employee will give wholeheartedly because people-oriented leadership will influence employee and inspire them. Hence how people-oriented leadership can change my perspective is that we have to have people skill to become a leader because we are dealing with human, not paper and machines only. Moreover, people is the biggest asset compare to others, otherwise business or organization cannot continue to operate. In addition, people-oriented leader is also appropriate for BS&D regarding to their organizational structure and culture.