Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Essay Example
Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Essay Example

Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Essay Example

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  • Pages: 5 (1125 words)
  • Published: June 22, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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Recently The Derby Foods brand experienced a “re-energizing “ of its 150-year old brand. This resurgence was due in part to Simone York, who had “designed and developed some ingenious co-branding opportunities…and his successful application of social media marketing and innovative advertising efforts” (Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Case Study). Because of his success, York was promoted to brand manager. York may have successfully reenergized a brand but his interpersonal skills seem to be lacking. Run ins with the production staff and his own team are creating conflict and a lack of enthusiasm in the company. Mary Griffin needs to meet with York to provide him feedback and coaching on how to better communicate with fellow employees of Derby Foods.

1. Simon York is causing distrust within the company.

John Shelburne, Director of Production, informed Mar

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y Griffin that York had noticed an imperfection on the label of one of the products. “York charged down to the production floor and yelled at the staff for producing an inferior product. He said that the production staff was ruining a potential long-term partnership” (Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Case Study). This was not the first incident (see number two); Mary realized that York’s behavior was not a one-time isolated instance but a pattern of poor behavior. “Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, both personal and professional, and when it’s broken, it is extremely hard to repair. When employees feel they can’t trust leadership they feel unsafe, like no one has their back, and then spend more energy on self-preservation and job-hunting than performing at their job. Talent acquisition costs and employee turnover costs increase (Which estimates put a

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between 150% – 200% of the employee’s salary)”

(http://tolerosolutions.com/employees-lack-trust-in-leadership-biggest-issue-impacting-performance/).

2. Simon York is causing division within his own team.

Griffin had observed York’s behavior at the last brand review meeting. As York was presenting the financial analysis he noticed a computational error. He was embarrassed and apologized. Tim Durham, assistant brand manager took responsibility for the error and apologized as well and stated he would correct it. York berated Tim Durham and his entire team by stating, “Thank God this is just an internal meeting. My team dropped the ball, and forgot that detail mattered. If the representatives from the X games were here, this would definitely be a career limiting move” (Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Case Study). Many of the veteran brand managers were excited about the ideas presented while York’s team did not show the same level of excitement.

3. Simon York is unaware of his lack of interpersonal skills.

When Mary Griffin’s assistant called to schedule the meeting with York, he immediately reflected on how happy he was with his part in the co-branding partnership with the Winters X-games. York is oblivious to the conflict that he creates with his accusatory and harsh attitude. He is assuming this meeting will be to congratulate him on his success and plans to use the meeting as an opportunity to ensure the production team delivers on “its promises of quality and precision.” (Mary Griffin at Derby Foods Case Study) “Interpersonal communication is not just about what is actually said - the language used - but how it is said and the non-verbal messages sent through tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body language.”

(http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/interpersonalcommunication.html#ixzz4VwfKaOjK)

Recommendations -

1. Mary Griffin must have

a very honest conversation with York discussing the discontent within the company due to his lack of interpersonal skills.

I recommend that Mary Griffin tell York that his lack of interpersonal skills is creating conflict within his team as well as other organizations. She should start by telling him that he is an asset to the company and is thankful for his important contributions. She should then ask York questions regarding why he felt the way he did in the two incidences and help him realize that it wasn’t the best way to handle them. Having great marketing skills will not be enough to be successful at Derby Foods it will also take being successful at working as teams.

2. Simon York must restore trust within his team.

In the book “Speed of Trust”, Stephan M.R. Covey states “Trust is one of the most powerful forms of motivation and inspiration. People want to be trusted. They respond to trust. They thrive of trust. Whatever our situation, we need to get good at establishing, extending, and restoring trust—not as a manipulative technique, but as the most effective way of relating to and working with others, and the most effective way of getting results.”

I recommend that Simon York should work at restoring the trust within his own team. He should begin by apologizing to his team for his outbursts. They should have an open discussion about ways to better handle situations. Having open communication will help restore trust. I suggest reading “The Speed of Trust” by Stephan M.R. Covey. It will help enable York to see, speak and behave in ways that establish trust.

3. Simon York needs to demonstrate he

can work with other departments within Derby Foods.

I recommend that after York restores trust within his team he needs to restore trust within other departments. Simon Yorks behavior is leading to a very toxic work environment.

“You may have heard that organizations with great cultures have increased performance. Lack of trust in leadership is a red flag that your business may have a “toxic” culture. No one likes to come to work every day and feel they are walking into a toxic waste dump. Employees will do the job requested of them, but without trust in leadership, they’re not likely to go above and beyond to help create a high performance organization. Your business can experience poor customer service satisfaction and declining repeat business and brand loyalty – which leads to declining profits.”(http://tolerosolutions.com/employees-lack-trust-in-leadership-biggest-issue-impacting-performance/)

In the book “The Speed of Trust”, Stephan M.R. Covey explains that “trust always affects two outcomes—speed and cost. When trust goes down, speed will also go down and costs will go up. When trust goes up, speed will also go up and costs will go down.” By understanding the economics of trust, York will realize that the discontent at Derby Foods will not enable him to truly succeed.

York should demonstrate humility and apologize to John Shelburne, Director of production.

Conclussion—

Griffin should emphasize York’s importance in the Derby Food Organization and commend him for his achievements. She should also be crystal clear that her intent is to help him develop trust with his co-workers so the whole company can feel successful. Griffin should emphasize the importance of having a cohesive work culture.

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