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- How would your team members feel about working for
someone like Chris? Why? - What would you have done differently from Chris? Why?
Case Analysis .......................................................................................................
Chris’s ability to adequately direct the business needs of
several top customers while not overwhelming his staff is evident
in this case. Many people would jump into the projects without a
plan, anticipating overload. The fact that Chris planned before he
acted is a contributing factor in the success. Planning early in a
project is never wasted; planning early in a project and then
effectively communicating to your staff can be taken to the bank
(which is one of the strengths of Chris’s actions). Although not
overly emphasized in this case, there appears to be considerable
involvement of Chris’s team and appropriate incentives
established for hard and effective work. Chris’s team knew the
workload demand was heavy but there was a company picnic to
mark the end. People are much more willing to go above and
beyond when they know there is an end in sight. Consider also the
benefits of recognizing, rewarding and celebrating results.
One additional comment: Notice the humorous awards
presented at the picnic. Although we can only speculate from the
case, there appears to be a sense of fun. Like celebration, a fun and
enjoyable work environment adds to productivity and morale.
That’s often an uncommon feature during project crunch time.
Any coach who can bring a sense of play into a tense work
situation is sensitive to his people’s needs. When your team can
laugh and have fun along the way, you are setting up high-
performance team results.
Getting Results Is All About YouC A S E S T U D Y