Leaders face various challenges in the business environment because of the dynamic needs of customers, the needs of their employees, and the need to maximize profits (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). However, with good leadership skills, a leader can create a healthy working environment where employees deliver their best and customers are satisfied. A good example of a successful leader is Andy Garafallo who runs a restaurant business.
Andy Garafallo is successful in the restaurant business because of various factors. One of these factors involves the location of his business and its physical appearance. Andy has located his business near a large city, hence increasing the number of customers coming to his business (Palestini, 2009). Secondly, his restaurant has beautiful interior décor making it very attractive to customers. The restaurant has unique features on its walls such as a gondola, a painting of the canals of Venice, and potted lemon trees.
Andy’s employees also play a significant role in the success of his restaurant business. His three managers are endowed with leadership skills, which help them work with competence. For example, Danielle has good interpersonal skills that help in welcoming the customers. Patrick is good with figures therefore he can account properly for all the business transactions (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). Kelly is good at preparing great food therefore the clients are satisfied and happy with what they buy.
Andy Garafallo has played a major role in the success of his business. He has expressed great leadership skills both to his employees and to his customers. He has created a good working environment for his employees where he teaches them new skills in the restaurant business. Andy is successful in his business because he puts the needs of his customers first and is not very much interested in making high profits. He is flexible and creative in his business. He introduces new ideas in his business where other restaurants would not attempt (Palestini, 2009). He creates an environment where his customers connect with his employees, hence his customers feel welcome.
Andy’s restaurant has three managers each with specific duties. Each manager has his or her strengths and weaknesses in the business (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). Kelly is sincere and trustworthy. She likes her job, she is competent, good with making orders, and good in food preparation. However, she has a major problem getting along with her co-workers. To improve her skills, Kelly needs to be trained on interpersonal skills and read books on this subject (Palestini, 2009). Also, she should know the negative impact she has on the business and co-workers for lack of good interpersonal skills.
Danielle loves her job and is committed to working, she has a good relationship with customers, and she is very friendly. Therefore, she can identify and meet the needs of her customers (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). However, she is awful with figures. Danielle can go back to school and take a course that will help improve her skills in numbers.
Patrick can multitask; he can work both in the kitchen, and in serving customers. He is competent with figures and possesses strong work values. However, he has poor people’s skills. He is not friendly to customers neither does he show any interest in them. He is not open to other ideas when it comes to problem-solving which has brought him problems. He takes everything seriously even small matters. Patrick can improve his people’s skills by attending seminars on communication skills and then applying what he has learned to his customers (Palestini, 2009). He should be open-minded and know that there are various approaches to solving problems.
Andy is very competent in his work because he has various leadership skills, which he applies in his business (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). He loves his employees despite their weaknesses. He also acknowledges and appreciates their strengths. He always attempts to improve the abilities of his employees by teaching skills necessary in the restaurant business. His vision is to bring out the best in his employees and watch them perform well even when they leave his business and get jobs elsewhere. He maximizes his time and works at his business.
He does not use unjust methods such as lowering the quality of products or increasing the cost of products to maximize his profits. Andy is open-minded when dealing with customers and his goal is to satisfy their needs (Palestini, 2009). For example, he listens to the requests of his customers and accepts them in a case where other restaurants would decline.
Andy’s approach to leading does not imply that other skills are not necessary to have a successful business. This is because Andy also depends on his managers who have different skills that he might not possess (Nohria & Khurana, 2013). Therefore, success in a business does not only depend on the skills of one person but a combination of skills from all other employees.
Reference List
Nohria, N., & Khurana, R. (2013). Handbook of leadership theory and practice: An HBS centennial colloquium. USA: Harvard Business Press.
Palestini, R. (2009). From Leadership Theory to Practice: A Game Plan for Success as a Leader. US: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.