Question

(Identify and discuss the management skills that Jack Tillson possess)

(Identify and discuss the leadership skills that Jack Tillson possess)

(Identify and discuss the leadership style Jack Tillson possess.)

Scenario Information:

You are currently working as an associate reporting to the Senior Lead Consultant for Green Line Consultants. The Senior Lead Consultant has been contacted by Grace Polk, head of R&D for PureLife Foods, Grace explained that she has been working to get the initial planning of a new division started but it is time to hand over the reins to a new Executive Director who will be responsible for bringing the division together and establishing the new division as a well-oiled machine.   The Senior Lead Consultant has asked you to help conduct a candidate search for the position of Executive Director for the Fitness and Nutrition division.

PureLife Foods currently produces and distributes organic vegetarian food products to major retailers such as Giant and Safeway that in turn are sold to the public. PureLife has decided to start producing and distributing a line of all-natural energy bars with its existing contracted clients.

Consider the question, “Who is a manager and what is their job in an organization?” As PureLife Foods launches a new product division to design, develop and deliver energy bars, the company will need to bring in someone to manage this division. The desire of Grace Polk is that the new Executive Director for the Energy Bars Division will be open to innovative ways to develop green and sustainable products that will not only be popular among the traditional PureLife Foods customer base, but also will be the face of the organization when marketing company products.

Partnering with Green Line Consultants, Grace will be vetting three potential candidates who will be expected to jump in and begin the development of management plans that will be used to establish the new division. The transcripts from the interviews of the three potential candidates have been given to the Green Line Consultants team who will help Grace. The new Executive Director will be a Manager of the 21^st Century who will be able to instill the culture, value and traditions of PureLife Foods into the employees hired as managers and employees.

In the beginning, the Executive Director will be the face of PureLife Food’s marketing brand. In addition, this new employee will need to be able to motivate not only the employee base of these new products but also motivate a new customer base for PureLife Foods on the ‘difference’ PureLife Foods will bring to the Energy Bars industry. Currently, the Energy Bars industry consists a lot of well-established companies, and a strong entry will be key to grab market share. Innovative and well-made products, good marketing, and a clear strategy will be critical to a strong entry, so bringing in a strong director will be key.

Jack Tillson

Jack is the current owner of Bigsby Frozen Foods that focuses on vegetarian frozen meals, with over $300M in sales annually. PureLife Foods recently agreed to purchase Bigsby’s and made a promise for Jack to receive a position within the organization as part of the purchase agreement. It was agreed that Rico Manuel, Jack’s long-time expert Frozen Foods Director would take over as Director of Operations for the PureLife Foods’s supplement division. Terry Schinn, PureLife’s COO, has asked to have Jack vetted carefully to see if maybe this new position would be a good fit for his executive level management and leadership skills. Terry also believes that since ‘Jack can run his own company he should be able to run a new division.’ The purchase of Jack’s company by PureLife Foods has a stipulation that Jack must be provided with a ‘high level’ position within the organization. Prior to starting the company 17 years ago Jack was an officer in the US Air Force working in logistics. During Grace’s conversations with Jack, he admitted that he handled the operations and financial side of the company for many of the company’s initial years while Rico led the marketing campaigns that helped the company grow exponentially for the first few years and maintain steady growth thereafter. However, he believes that since he has been leading Bigsby’s through its growth that he could easily manage PureLife Foods into a new venture. Jack feels confident he is the best candidate and is a front runner for the position.

Answer 1

Jack Tillson

• Management Skills:
  • Operational Skills: Jack used to manage the operations of business and hence will be good in handling the supply chain of the manufacturing process
  • Financing Skills: Jack also has a knack for managing the financials of business.
• Leadership Skills:
  • Visionary: Jack has led the Bigsby business in its growth stage He must have the vision to develop a competitive advantage of the company and sustain it
  • Change management: A company, in its growth stage, is known to undergo several changes. As Jack had facilitated the growth of Bigsby,he must have the understanding of managing change effectively
• Leadership Style: Not much data is given about the leadership style of Jack Tillson. We can assume that he is an adaptable leader as Bigsby was managed quite well in its growth stage by Jack and Rico.