You are the store manager at Dennigee's, one of 988mid-sized profitable lawn and garden stores scattered throughout the West, Midwest and Southwestern parts of the United States. Your store is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Dennigee's offers lawn and garden products and fresh plants in a great atmosphere and at an affordable price. Its mission statement promises: To be the leading provider of quality lawn and garden products; providing customers with a better life by saving them money and time; providing employees with respect and opportunities; and giving shareholders a return on their investment. The company's strategy is to be a customer-driven provider of high-quality lawn and garden products and fresh plants The focus for this fiscal year is simple and straightforward. Dennigee's will continue to focus their execution on their corporate strategy, referred to as the "Big Five": 1. Grow Customer Numbers Faster than the Competition 2. Lead in Revenue Growth 3. Ensure a Great Customer Experience Every Time 4. Lead in Profitability Growth 5. Use the Strength of Our Culture to Compete Executing the "Big 5" is critically important to the company's success. The following is background on the Phoenix Dennigee's store: LY Revenues: $1.6M TY Plan: $1.8M 13,000sq.ft combined inventory storage and selling space Total of 6 Dennigee's stores in the Phoenix market Home Depot within a 2 mile radius Lowe's and Menard's within a 5 mile radius The store's current performance stats: Current Fiscal Year. Focus Period, Jan 1 - Mar 31 based on your selling success. You turned many one-time or infrequent shoppers into profitable repeat customers. And, the changes you made for displaying product cholces and pricing were so productive and efficlent; they became operational standards for all stores. As a store manager, your main responsiblities include driving revenues, increasing the number of ltems per customer transaction, and Improving inventory turns. Executing each of these responsiblities has its challenges; however, developing your staff into a team has been the most challenging. You have a growing respect for other store managers everywhere as you have learned firsthand about the dally, unpredlctable "people side" of the business. Retaining top talent is an ongoing issue. The average tenure for an employee is 16 months, while it is 22 months for supervisors and managers. There are many performance Issues, which vary from person to person. But, you have successfully formed and trained the managerial and supervisory staff who function very well as a team. The part-time employees are a different story. They typlcally fall short of meeting their dally responsibilities, represent the bottom 25% of the district's employee performance ratings, and their NPS survey percentages are below 60%. You have 26 PT employees. You also have two assistant store managers and 6 department supervisors who all have diverse talents and tactics for motivation. You just completed a Monday moming store walk through. You evaluated and took note of the areas of the store that needed attention, as well as the inventory in-stock status. During the walk, you evaluated all operational areas to make sure they were recovered from the weekend's business. Overall, the store had not fully recovered. Last weekend, residents enjoyed sunny, warm weather, which translated to an especially busy Saturday and exceeded revenue targets. As you walked the store you made note of the following: 1. Promotional signage was up-to-date and appropriately displayed. 2. Cleanliness standards were not met. Discarded product packaging and scrap cardboard were observed in some selling areas. Restrooms needed mopping and the mirrors were streaked. Paper products in the restrooms were not adequately stocked. 3. The walk-in greenhouse was up to standard. 4. The watering equipment department was up to standard. 5. Some of the inventory levels were short, especially for the current planting equipment that was being promoted. Liquid fertilizers were also in short supply. 6. You received two e-mails on Sunday from customers complaining about long wait times over the weekend. Plus, selling items at the checkout (gardening gloves and knee pads) were not fully stocked and signed. So, you made a note to check the weekend schedule to see if the store had been adequately covered. After the store walk, you had a meeting with the entire management team, which included the assistant store managers and department supervisors. You reviewed the summary of the morning store walk with the team. You believe that the management team is not focusing on the right things. However, you recognize that this gives you the opportunity to establish solid expectations, adjust to individual needs, and demonstrate a supportive position. James, the previous store manager, did a reasonably good job, but you are convinced you can do better. You especially want to help your team see the big picture and focus on executing the "Big 5 ." To accomplish this goal, you decide to talk with the assistant managers to reset goals and expectations and regain their commitment to the "Big 5." But, you'll have to prepare for these conversations. You have two assistant managers-Eddle and Amy. Eddie is the veteran of the store. He is responsible for operations and recelving. He was a department manager when the store opened over four years ago and has been the lead assistant store manager for the last two years. He has been a consistent and responsible performer with one notable exception. In the past, Eddle has had bitter and disruptive clashes of wills with several department managers. However, these conflicts end when the department managers leave the store. His customer service skills are exceptional, especlally greeting the customers and maintaining operational and inventory standards. However, Eddie did not take your promotion very well. Eddie felt that he was "leaped over." As managers you and Eddie get along fine and are cordial to one another. Though Eddie has not been very direct with you about his displeasure, it has shown in his interactions with you. And, you've even heard from other managers that Eddie is upset. However, as the store manager, you have been professional and respectful towards Eddie and involve him in many managerial responsibilities and decisions. Maybe Eddie's behavior and feelings should be included in the agenda for the upcoming expectations-setting meeting. You think it would be a good idea to review the job profile for the assistant store manager's position, which is the same as it is for the store manager. This may in fact be the critical piece of the discussion. At times over the past few months, you and Eddie seem to have had overlapping roles. It will be important to clarify and distinguish these roles and align them with the store's goals and objectives. You decide to review Eddie's performance agreement for the current year and were reminded of his: Strengths and achievements: Improved MTD customer service scores, reduced MTD shrink \% vs. target, improved exempt turnover rate You also note opportunities: Rollout of new processes needs improvement; Part-time staff needs to be better managed; Needs to spend more time providing employees with ongoing feedback; and Inventory tracking needs focus and improvement. Amy is the other assistant store manager who oversees the remaining store functions. Amy was initially promoted from a department supervisor position to assistant store manager by your predecessor, just before you took over as store manager. She still acts like the new kid on the block and most of the time she reverts back to serving customers when she is supposed to be supervising. Amy was promoted because her departments led in sales for several focus periods, averaging 5-7\% above targeted revenues. But, you think that she spends more time with customers than she supervises. The previous store manager was overall very pleased with Amy's performance for several reasons. She was a quick learner and rapidly assimilated lots of product knowledge. In general, employees seem to like Amy and appreciate her quick humor and friendliness. Now that she is an assistant store manager, you feel that Amy is too aggressive with the department supervisors she oversees. She needs to learn the important distinction between being aggressive and energetic. At times, the pace of her speech hurts her ability to connect with employees and customers. Leaders have the responsibility for determining organizational priorities, developing leadership plans, and setting objectives that align with the corporate strategy. They must have a clear vision for how their store or organization should be performing, along with a strategy for achieving that vision. Instructions Read the following case study involving Dennigee's Store: Case Study - Leading a High Performance Team Use course content, outside research on leadership functions, and your professional experience as you review the case study. Consider the situation from the perspective of a team leader. In 300400 words, double-spaced, use the results of your analysis to complete the following: 1. State your vision for the store; explain 2. Determine and describe three objectives on which your team should focus, then list them in priority order 3. Use the Dennigee's Case Study leader plan template to outline your plan; based on your leadership priority list, insert specific goals for each of your objectives (by month, by quarter, and by season) 4. Explain how the objectives you have identified and the goals you have set align with the company strategy stated in the case study You have tried to give her feedback on how to coach supervisors and employees in customer service and selling techniques, on an ongoing basis. This has been a difficult task given the pace of the store. You have also talked with Amy in an effort to build rapport and learn more about what makes her tick. Amy's upcoming formal mid-year review will give you a chance to recap, assess her progress to date, look ahead together, and set expectations for the next half of the year. You decide that your first step in preparing for conversations with Eddie and Amy is to use the T-Sheet, a tool your district manager gave you to capture performance data. You completed one for Amy. You are the store manager at Dennigee's, one of 988mid-sized profitable lawn and garden stores scattered throughout the West, Midwest and Southwestern parts of the United States. Your store is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Dennigee's offers lawn and garden products and fresh plants in a great atmosphere and at an affordable price. Its mission statement promises: To be the leading provider of quality lawn and garden products; providing customers with a better life by saving them money and time; providing employees with respect and opportunities; and giving shareholders a return on their investment. The company's strategy is to be a customer-driven provider of high-quality lawn and garden products and fresh plants The focus for this fiscal year is simple and straightforward. Dennigee's will continue to focus their execution on their corporate strategy, referred to as the "Big Five": 1. Grow Customer Numbers Faster than the Competition 2. Lead in Revenue Growth 3. Ensure a Great Customer Experience Every Time 4. Lead in Profitability Growth 5. Use the Strength of Our Culture to Compete Executing the "Big 5" is critically important to the company's success. The following is background on the Phoenix Dennigee's store: LY Revenues: $1.6M TY Plan: $1.8M 13,000sq.ft combined inventory storage and selling space Total of 6 Dennigee's stores in the Phoenix market Home Depot within a 2 mile radius Lowe's and Menard's within a 5 mile radius The store's current performance stats: Current Fiscal Year. Focus Period, Jan 1 - Mar 31 based on your selling success. You turned many one-time or infrequent shoppers into profitable repeat customers. And, the changes you made for displaying product cholces and pricing were so productive and efficlent; they became operational standards for all stores. As a store manager, your main responsiblities include driving revenues, increasing the number of ltems per customer transaction, and Improving inventory turns. Executing each of these responsiblities has its challenges; however, developing your staff into a team has been the most challenging. You have a growing respect for other store managers everywhere as you have learned firsthand about the dally, unpredlctable "people side" of the business. Retaining top talent is an ongoing issue. The average tenure for an employee is 16 months, while it is 22 months for supervisors and managers. There are many performance Issues, which vary from person to person. But, you have successfully formed and trained the managerial and supervisory staff who function very well as a team. The part-time employees are a different story. They typlcally fall short of meeting their dally responsibilities, represent the bottom 25% of the district's employee performance ratings, and their NPS survey percentages are below 60%. You have 26 PT employees. You also have two assistant store managers and 6 department supervisors who all have diverse talents and tactics for motivation. You just completed a Monday moming store walk through. You evaluated and took note of the areas of the store that needed attention, as well as the inventory in-stock status. During the walk, you evaluated all operational areas to make sure they were recovered from the weekend's business. Overall, the store had not fully recovered. Last weekend, residents enjoyed sunny, warm weather, which translated to an especially busy Saturday and exceeded revenue targets. As you walked the store you made note of the following: 1. Promotional signage was up-to-date and appropriately displayed. 2. Cleanliness standards were not met. Discarded product packaging and scrap cardboard were observed in some selling areas. Restrooms needed mopping and the mirrors were streaked. Paper products in the restrooms were not adequately stocked. 3. The walk-in greenhouse was up to standard. 4. The watering equipment department was up to standard. 5. Some of the inventory levels were short, especially for the current planting equipment that was being promoted. Liquid fertilizers were also in short supply. 6. You received two e-mails on Sunday from customers complaining about long wait times over the weekend. Plus, selling items at the checkout (gardening gloves and knee pads) were not fully stocked and signed. So, you made a note to check the weekend schedule to see if the store had been adequately covered. After the store walk, you had a meeting with the entire management team, which included the assistant store managers and department supervisors. You reviewed the summary of the morning store walk with the team. You believe that the management team is not focusing on the right things. However, you recognize that this gives you the opportunity to establish solid expectations, adjust to individual needs, and demonstrate a supportive position. James, the previous store manager, did a reasonably good job, but you are convinced you can do better. You especially want to help your team see the big picture and focus on executing the "Big 5 ." To accomplish this goal, you decide to talk with the assistant managers to reset goals and expectations and regain their commitment to the "Big 5." But, you'll have to prepare for these conversations. You have two assistant managers-Eddle and Amy. Eddie is the veteran of the store. He is responsible for operations and recelving. He was a department manager when the store opened over four years ago and has been the lead assistant store manager for the last two years. He has been a consistent and responsible performer with one notable exception. In the past, Eddle has had bitter and disruptive clashes of wills with several department managers. However, these conflicts end when the department managers leave the store. His customer service skills are exceptional, especlally greeting the customers and maintaining operational and inventory standards. However, Eddie did not take your promotion very well. Eddie felt that he was "leaped over." As managers you and Eddie get along fine and are cordial to one another. Though Eddie has not been very direct with you about his displeasure, it has shown in his interactions with you. And, you've even heard from other managers that Eddie is upset. However, as the store manager, you have been professional and respectful towards Eddie and involve him in many managerial responsibilities and decisions. Maybe Eddie's behavior and feelings should be included in the agenda for the upcoming expectations-setting meeting. You think it would be a good idea to review the job profile for the assistant store manager's position, which is the same as it is for the store manager. This may in fact be the critical piece of the discussion. At times over the past few months, you and Eddie seem to have had overlapping roles. It will be important to clarify and distinguish these roles and align them with the store's goals and objectives. You decide to review Eddie's performance agreement for the current year and were reminded of his: Strengths and achievements: Improved MTD customer service scores, reduced MTD shrink \% vs. target, improved exempt turnover rate You also note opportunities: Rollout of new processes needs improvement; Part-time staff needs to be better managed; Needs to spend more time providing employees with ongoing feedback; and Inventory tracking needs focus and improvement. Amy is the other assistant store manager who oversees the remaining store functions. Amy was initially promoted from a department supervisor position to assistant store manager by your predecessor, just before you took over as store manager. She still acts like the new kid on the block and most of the time she reverts back to serving customers when she is supposed to be supervising. Amy was promoted because her departments led in sales for several focus periods, averaging 5-7\% above targeted revenues. But, you think that she spends more time with customers than she supervises. The previous store manager was overall very pleased with Amy's performance for several reasons. She was a quick learner and rapidly assimilated lots of product knowledge. In general, employees seem to like Amy and appreciate her quick humor and friendliness. Now that she is an assistant store manager, you feel that Amy is too aggressive with the department supervisors she oversees. She needs to learn the important distinction between being aggressive and energetic. At times, the pace of her speech hurts her ability to connect with employees and customers. Leaders have the responsibility for determining organizational priorities, developing leadership plans, and setting objectives that align with the corporate strategy. They must have a clear vision for how their store or organization should be performing, along with a strategy for achieving that vision. Instructions Read the following case study involving Dennigee's Store: Case Study - Leading a High Performance Team Use course content, outside research on leadership functions, and your professional experience as you review the case study. Consider the situation from the perspective of a team leader. In 300400 words, double-spaced, use the results of your analysis to complete the following: 1. State your vision for the store; explain 2. Determine and describe three objectives on which your team should focus, then list them in priority order 3. Use the Dennigee's Case Study leader plan template to outline your plan; based on your leadership priority list, insert specific goals for each of your objectives (by month, by quarter, and by season) 4. Explain how the objectives you have identified and the goals you have set align with the company strategy stated in the case study You have tried to give her feedback on how to coach supervisors and employees in customer service and selling techniques, on an ongoing basis. This has been a difficult task given the pace of the store. You have also talked with Amy in an effort to build rapport and learn more about what makes her tick. Amy's upcoming formal mid-year review will give you a chance to recap, assess her progress to date, look ahead together, and set expectations for the next half of the year. You decide that your first step in preparing for conversations with Eddie and Amy is to use the T-Sheet, a tool your district manager gave you to capture performance data. You completed one for Amy