CEO Interview Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CEO Interview Report - Essay Example Pursuant to expectations, the interviewee validated aspects of the theories, but unexpectedly and quite importantly, other subjects and themes were explained by Mr, J from a more pragmatic perspective which made complete sense while being consistent with fundamental assertions of the theories. The interviewee qualified what is meant by being humble in the sense of Level 5 Leadership, how leaders should deal with being incomplete leaders without being ignorant leaders, and how luck should be anticipated not only in the positive but also in the negative direction (i.e., good as well as bad luck), so good luck should not be relied upon. The more important quotes from Mr. J were selected and incorporated into the interview report. The research resulted in a wealth of insight from a person whose practical experiences were reconciled with the themes in the article, in a manner that rendered the theories more understandable and their application more plausible in the practice of business. I ntroduction This interview report is the result of a one-hour face-to-face interview over Skype with Mr. Erik Junginger (henceforth Mr. J), the chief executive of a medium-sized sports and rubber shoe manufacturing firm. The idea to conduct the interview online was the interviewee’s own preference, which the interviewer agreed to. Mr J’s company, EBJ Footwear, Ltd., makes shoes on outsourced orders by larger brand-name shoe manufacturers who regularly outsource some of their less specialized product lines. There are approximately 1,000 employees, 80 per cent of whom are in the various stages of the manufacturing process, and the rest in the administrative, human resources, and marketing functions. The interview undertaken in this assignment intends to draw parallels between the story of the executive being interviewed (i.e., Mr. J), and the central themes discussed during the course, specifically from the material in Landing in the Executive Chair and HBR’s 10 M ust Reads on Leadership. The aim of the interview is to find if the case validates the central themes chosen, or if the case provides a new perspective on the same themes. The topics chosen were the self-perception as well as perception of the work force, of the executive’s leadership style, F2 Leadership, and luck in leadership (topics from Landing in the Executive Chair), and Level 5 Leadership, Crucibles of Leadership, and Incomplete Leadership (topics from HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership). Self-Perception of Leadership Style When asked to describe his management style, Mr. J paused for a moment and after some introspection, replied that he felt his management style was somewhere in between the democratic and autocratic styles. He justified, ‘Since I lead a business with more than 1,000 rank and file workers mostly in a manufacturing environment, I am concerned that a show of too much liberality will convey the idea to the workers that they may slacken in th eir performance.† Mr. J explained that the nature of the job is one of precision. ‘If one section of one plant, say the section that makes the shoes’ uppers, does not deliver the proper quota or the right quality, then that means that the PVC injection section will not