Wanda has been reading up on management, using magazines at the grocery store checkout line as her primary resource. She admits that popular magazines may not be the best source of information about management, but she has learned that leadership and management styles can have a large impact on the success of a business. She saw a book titled Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun and thought it was a joke at first, but quickly realized that it is a serious work that has sold millions of copies. She doesn't want her employees to think of her as some Mongol warlord, but at the same time knows she needs to be more of a leader and manager after the business expands. Once again, Wanda calls you!

For Discussion

As Wanda works to establish herself as a leader and manager, which of the various leadership and management styles should she adopt? Are there circumstances under which the ones you recommend will NOT be appropriate, considering her business operations?

Thinking of when you have been "managed" or you have "managed" others (even in a group project in school), how do you prefer to manage and/or be managed and why?

Wanda just doesn't understand her friend Jamie sometimes. They have been working together since the first dog biscuit came out of the oven, but now that the business is expanding, she can't seem to get Jamie motivated to accomplish the things she delegates to her. She pays Jamie a salary now, so it's not like the old days when she was working in exchange for dog treats. She has even given Jamie more responsibility; Jamie now supervises two other employees, a challenge Wanda assumed that Jamie wanted.

One afternoon she stops Jamie in the hallway and asks her if everything is going okay. Jamie responds that things are fine. Later that same week Wanda and Jamie are meeting about an upcoming promotion they are holding at the local animal shelter. Jamie takes a few notes but doesn't share Wanda's enthusiasm for the event. Wanda comes right out and asks Jamie if she has lost interest in the business. Jamie shrugs and says no, she is good with everything.

For Discussion

Explain some reasons why Jamie may lack motivation and enthusiasm for the business at this point. Make sure the reasons you present are supported by sound motivational theory as established by leaders in the field.

What types of forces motivate you to accomplish tasks in your personal, work, or school life? How is your motivation affected by the types of motivators you have studied in this chapter, and could you and Jamie be experiencing some of the same things?