1. How will Charlie’s approach to quality and service affect his company’s performance?

As Charlie Greer drove to work, he smiled, recalling the meeting at the end of the previous day. Inez Rodriguez, the owner of the company where he worked, USA Hospital Supply, had summoned him to her office, where she warmly shook his hand and exclaimed, “Congratulations!” As they settled into chairs, Inez reviewed the conversation she’d had with the company’s board of directors that morning: USA Hospital had been growing steadily for the past 10 years despite the economy’s ups and downs. As the company’s founder, Inez had always been an insightful and enthusiastic leader of the five-person sales team, but the level of activity was becoming too much of a distraction. Inez needed to think about the long-range vision of the company, so she needed a leader who could focus on sales. She had interviewed several candidates outside the firm as well as Charlie and two of the other sales representatives. In the end, Inez told Charlie, the choice was obvious: Charlie was far and away the best sales rep on the team, he had extensive knowledge of the company’s product mix, and if anyone could help the sales team achieve its goals, it was Charlie.
She offered him the job as the company’s first sales manager. He eagerly accepted. When he left work that evening, his head was full of ideas, and his heart was full of confidence.