Discussion

Leadership Approach

Find a current business event from The Wall Street Journal that represents a leadership challenge. Now, imagine you have been asked to step into the leadership role to manage the challenge.

Discuss the steps you would take in the first 90 days of your leadership. Explain your approach by applying learning from the lectures, videos, and readings this week, as well as any relevant concepts from earlier in the course.

NOTE: Be sure to include a link to the article you are discussing in your post.

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone

First Response

 RE: Week 9 Discussion

COLLAPSE

This article is about Apple Inc declining sales of the smartphone and decided to release a new training operation in Vietnam to continue production.

Apple and its investors are having setbacks in making the iPhone product in China due to the coronavirus. With people becoming ill and dying from the virus China industry is lacking production and sales are plummeting quickly. They have lost more than $100 billion in revenue from the factory shut down and this was unexpected.

The article goes into detail about Apple using China because “The country provides a stable, efficient, low-cost manufacturing base with an abundant network of suppliers that have helped cement Apple’s profitability.” With this being said, the company is looking for a way out by thinking of transferring the product line to Vietnam or India because it’s cheaper to manufacture there product but if they do this it would put china in jeopardy of losing the most revenue because they use many different vendors and migrant workers. Throughout the article, it goes on to talk about Apple and the company’s product sales in the past and how Trump wanted to expand trade from China.

If I had to step into the leadership position at Apple, I would try to bring the product line back to the US. I say this because it will create revenue for our country. Jobs, productivity, cost-effectiveness, low-cost delivery of the product, using different vendors and brining up their production products. In my opinion, America’s have paid much money into Iphones, earbuds, watches, etc. why not pay it forward to the people of America? There are many people here in the US that need jobs and income. Why not build up our country? We have to learn how to build up our country together by helping others. Yes, it may cost a little bit more money, but the value of the product will be beneficial for everyone.

Wouldn’t you like to see more labels saying, “Made in America?”

Reference:

Kubota, Y. & Mickle, T. (2020) Tim Cook and apple bet everything on China. Then coronavirus hit. Retrieved from

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tim-cook-and-apple-bet-everything-on-china-then-coronavirus-hit-11583172087?mod=hp_lead_pos3

Second Response

 RE: Week 9 DiscussionCOLLAPSE

Hello Dr.G and class

Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-netflix-radical-transparency-and-blunt-firings-unsettle-the-ranks-1540497174?mg=prod/com-wsj

At a meeting, Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings was faced with a dilemma of publicly firing the chief communications officer Jonathan Friedland or ignoring the whole situation.  Mr. Friedland used the “N-word” in front of guests and employees (Ramachandran & Flint, 2018). The incident embarrassed the company’s culture of transparency and radical openness. After realizing his mistake, Mr. Friedland apologized in front of his colleagues and expected that he would be forgiven. Despite his apology, Mr. Hastings fired him for fear of painting the company s racists. While addressing the gathering at a corporate retreat, Mr.Hastings tore as he explained how he was sorry for taking too long to act on Mr. Friedland. He cited the incidence as a learning opportunity for the company and reiterated that Netflix took its culture seriously. Just as Watkins (2016), stated, leaders may sometimes act in ways that do not represent the company’s culture, therefore causing immune system attacks within the company.

As a leader, I would first call my staff to the office and pursue to know why he went against the organization’s culture. I would expect him to explain in detail what happened and let him know how people got irked by his speech. According to Ibarra, Rattan, & Johnston (2018), this is an essential step when trying to recover from a disaster. The next step would be to hold sessions where I would listen to employees to express their opinions regarding the incident. I would encourage them to express themselves without fear, as it would help me make a wise decision.

References

Ibarra, H., Rattan, A., & Johnston, A. (2018). Satya Nadella at Microsoft: Instilling a growth mindset. Harvard Business Review case no. LBS128 (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.

Ramachandran, S., & Flint, J. (2018, October 25). At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-netflix-radical-transparency-and-blunt-firings-unsettle-the-ranks-1540497174?mg=prod/com-wsj

Watkins, M. (2016, January 25). The Seven Biggest Traps in the First 90 Days and How to Avoid Them. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seven-biggest-traps-first-90-day sand-how-avoid-them-Michael-Watkins/

Reply

Email Author

Hide 1 reply (1 unread)

1 day agoSTEPHEN GRIFFITH INSTRUCTOR_JW MANAGER RE: Week 9 Discussion
 

JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century

Lecture Notes

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.

JWI 510 – Lecture Notes (1194) Page 1 of 3

Week 9: Becoming the Leader

The challenges of the first three months in a new leadership position can be significant, whether you are
becoming the leader of a team, a department, or an entire organization. A lot is at stake regarding
organizational effectiveness and career success – both yours and those of the people being led by you.
Leveraging a proven model will help ensure that you make a successful transition into the new leadership
role. This week, we will explore practical steps you can take to make your move into a new role successful
and to embrace the challenges the new opportunity presents.

Leading in the First 90 Days

Four common types of business situations must be understood for you to select the most effective
leadership strategy: startup, turnaround, realignment, and sustaining. These business situations can be
particular to a team or department, or they could apply to the entire organization.

Startups and turnarounds give new leaders the opportunity to start fresh. For these situations, courage is
essential because difficult decisions are often required early on. Realignments and sustaining conditions
present a different challenge. A new leader must quickly assess what to preserve because it is successful,
and what to change to move the organization forward. Once the type of business situation is identified, two
fundamental choices must be made:

1. A decision whether to focus on learning about the organization or taking action
In turnarounds and startups, the emphasis is typically on immediate action. Often, early
decisions will be required even without complete information. The new leader does not have
the luxury of a protracted analytical phase, and must focus on quickly identifying what is
needed to manage the tactical elements as quickly as possible.

2. A decision whether to proactively pursue new initiatives or to defend the current
position of the company

While the best strategy may integrate elements of both, a new leader must decide which to
emphasize initially. Of course, for a startup, the emphasis is on active pursuit of new initiatives.
In a turnaround, the strategy is to find the core strengths and work to protect them. For a
realignment situation, identifying new initiatives is important, as is defending the current
position. For sustaining an organization, the best approach is typically to support the current
company position.

JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century
Lecture Notes

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.

JWI 510 – Lecture Notes (1194) Page 2 of 3

Early Wins

What comprises an early win is different for each business situation. Devising a clear strategy and forming
the right team are essential wins early in a startup situation. In a turnaround, it is also important to get the
right team on board, as well as to determine which core components of the business to focus on. In
realignments, because employees often do not see the need for change, an early win is building urgency
and buy-in regarding the need for change. For sustaining situations, the important early win is when others
in the organization know that you understand what makes that organization successful.

The 10 Key Transition Opportunities

1. Promote yourself – let go of the old, take charge of the new

2. Accelerate learning – focus on what you need to learn first, given the situation

3. Diagnose and match strategy to the situation

4. Secure early wins

5. Build a good relationship with your new boss – refer to Week 7 for ideas about how to do this

6. Focus on strategic alignment to ensure the business’s strategy, structure, systems, and capabilities
are aligned

7. Build your team – apply candor, differentiation, and transparency

8. Build alliances – review Week 7 material for useful approaches

9. Build your network – find others to help you keep your perspective and provide counsel

10. Support everyone’s transition to your leadership

JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century
Lecture Notes

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.

JWI 510 – Lecture Notes (1194) Page 3 of 3

Your Leadership Journey

• If you are new to leadership, think about how to establish some early wins in your new role.

• If you are already a team leader, consider the transition traps that you may face when you are
moving from a past leadership role into a new position.

• If you are a senior/veteran leader, consider how you – and your direct reports leading their teams –
can embrace crucibles as poignant leading experiences.