Jack Walters

Dr. Bagley

Communications 499

10 April 2024

What it Takes to Manage a Business

Introduction

When operating a business many people ask themselves: Would I prefer to meet my goals directly or exceed them? As a long-term employee at Jersey Mike’s, I have been able to observe managers with ideas pulling from any given spot on this spectrum. Based on the outcomes of these various management techniques, it has become apparent that true leadership is the core aspect of what a business needs to function properly. With that, a true leader, when managing a business, sees what improvements can be made within the business, accepts constructive criticism, and most importantly, has excellent problem-solving skills. Given that any struggle, regardless of the extent, is rarely resolved by one single person, the most ideal way to exercise proper problem-solving skills is through direct and clear communication. A manager, especially in the food service industry, is nothing without their employees, and these employees cannot succeed if they are not informed of what is going on in the business. Thus, healthy conversation and communication in general allow for both parties to utilize each other and make improvements that will ultimately improve the business as a whole. The overall quality of a business directly correlates to the quality of leadership within the business. Poor leadership that is lacking in communication and problem-solving skills, for instance, will result in a poor business while strong leadership is almost guaranteed to result in a strong and successful business. Running a business requires a lot of statistical thinking and planning, however, all of the necessary skills that come with running a truly successful business stem from the foundation of strong communication skills.

Abstract

Throughout my time in communications, I have studied a plethora of leadership styles and theories. Like anything, leadership techniques will always vary, however, there are several common themes found among highly successful leaders. Most leaders, specifically new ones, are gentle in their criticism, however, there are also many who do not ultimately choose patience. This authoritarian, “won’t take no for an answer” leadership style follows the premise that the workplace revolves around a type of modern class system with minimal socioeconomic mobility. While this technique guarantees a cushy level of control, it also tends to create a work environment that is generally hopeless and pessimistic. Authoritarian leadership, overall, creates an extremely negative workplace culture, discourages lower-level staff members, and may lead to uncanny turnover rates. “As authoritarian leaders are highly demanding and expect absolute conformity to them, the leader-employee interactions in authoritarian leadership have been described as inherently intimidating, threatening, and stressful,” (Duan, Wang, Xu, Zhu 2021) which will eventually lead to a noticeable lack of passion among those who represent the company as employees. While it is okay for managers to expect respect from their employees, they should not be threatening and intimidating their employees or creating a hostile work environment. With that, the leadership style that has proven to be most beneficial in creating a positive work environment is the Inclusive leadership method. Inclusive leaders, like authoritarians, have complete control over the decision-making process, however, all forms of input given are heard and considered before things are set in stone. While the idea of sacrificing even the smallest amount of control may be paralyzing to some, “The inclusive leadership that integrates Chinese traditional culture emphasizes equal opportunity and fair distribution, in line with higher psychological pursuits and the respected needs of the new generation employees, is a new type of democratic leadership” (Fang, Chen, Wang, Chen 2019). Inclusive leadership, as a whole, cultivates an environment of contribution from everyone involved and ultimately betters the company in all aspects.

            In my line of work, I have seen leaders push away great talent and work ethic due to their use of an authoritative style when managing. Authoritative leaders, although their intentions are typically positive, are very short-sighted and fail to see the value that their employees bring to the table in the long run. With that, I have also seen leaders elevate the business by placing high value on the input and contributions of their employees. Given the outcomes of both extreme ends of the spectrum, I have observed that it is always beneficial to utilize inclusive leadership.

Method

To study this concept further, I chose to sit down with past managers. Steve Sharpe, my first manager, followed the inclusive leadership technique directly. In talking to him, Steve explained exactly what was stated in the article about inclusive leadership without having read the article himself, therefore this interview provided physical evidence regarding the article's claims. Further, I met with my most recent boss to discuss where he stood on the spectrum. Gary Baltz, the most recent manager of Jersey Mike’s on University Blvd, was previously trained by Steve while he was preparing to become a manager himself. With that, Steve and Gary’s preferences on inclusivity in the workplace were very similar. Given the vast success I saw during Gary and Steve’s terms as managers, it only makes sense that I follow in their footsteps and run a business with inclusive leadership at the forefront.

Results and Analysis

The first person in management that I sat down with was Steve Sharpe, the current Vice President of Operations for the franchise. Steve has had quite an effect on me and taught me a lot as I developed as both an employee and manager in the company. In our conversation, Steve talked a lot about guiding employees in the right direction by giving them knowledge and training but ultimately letting them run the business and push toward the organizational goals themselves. He also said something very insightful which was that he manages personalities, not sandwiches. I also sat down with Gary Baltz, the Area Director for my region. He trained under Steve so he and Steve have a very similar philosophy on leadership. Gary places a lot of emphasis on being hands-on in day-to-day operations and having a personal relationship with his employees.

My takeaway from my conversations is that the leaders who have achieved success in the company are the ones who adhere to the inclusive leadership style by placing high value on employee input  as well as personal relationships with their employees.

Conclusion

In conclusion, true leaders are people who see what improvements can be made within a business and push those around them to attain the organizational goals. Inclusive leadership adheres best to this definition of what a leader is. At Jersey Mike’s, inclusive leadership has through and through yielded the highest performance of the overall business as well as employee turnover.

Works Cited

Fang Yang-Chun, Chen Jia-Yan, Wang Mei-Jie, Chen Chao-Ying, The Impact of Inclusive Leadership on Employees’ Innovative Behaviors: The Mediation of Psychological Capital, JOURNAL: Frontiers in Psychology, VOLUME:10 , YEAR: 2019, URL: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01803, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01803, ISSN:1664-1078  

Duan, J., Wang, T., Xu, Y., & Zhu, Y. (2023). Employee Status and Voice Under Authoritarian Leadership: An Attachment Perspective. Journal of Business & Psychology, 38(3), 607–619. https://doi-org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/10.1007/s10869-022-09845-9