Erik Peterson
Action Plan
I, Erik Peterson, the general manager of Biometra, am under significant pressure to lead my team and launch my company’s plastic composite catheter by April 1st. There are numerous personnel and product issues hindering a successful launch, but it is my responsibility to overcome these obstacles. It is March 10th, and my team and I have a meeting in two weeks with the Scientific Materials team of Chip Knight, Richard Jenkins, and Dash Harper. It’s critical to my career that my team has a clear understanding of what must be accomplished by that meeting. Failure to launch is unacceptable, and we must take whatever steps are necessary to launch a quality product on time.
In order to provide guidance, I will immediately assemble a team meeting to discuss the severity of the situation that Biometra is in, and the steps we need to take from here. I will display an act of humility by submitting to my team members that I have not been a perfect leader throughout the process. This is my approach for alleviating some of the disdain that my colleagues have towards me, because I know they do not believe I deserve the management role that I am in.
I will then attempt to increase morale and accountability by telling each of my colleagues what he or she is responsible for. This method should give everyone a greater purpose and sense of ownership. Placing accountability on the shoulders of each individual increases their sense of belonging and importance. They will also be told that they will personally be presenting to the SciMat team when they arrive in several weeks. My goal is to create a sense of urgency. Furthermore, I will make it clear that personal differences must be put aside for the next three weeks, and that our team will not be successful unless that happens.
I will establish specific metrics by which each of my colleagues will be judged, so that it is clear what each person should be focused on over the next two weeks. Additionally, I will establish deadlines and status meetings to ensure that the project stays on track. These meetings will allow each department to take ownership of their respective deliverables, while allowing me to be far less of a micro-manager.
I plan on having ongoing discussions with Chip Knight, so that I may learn from his leadership and considerable experience in product launches, which was something the Biometra team lacked prior to his arrival. Any learnings from these discussions will immediately be implemented, so that the product launch can run as efficiently as possible. This will allow Knight to bring his knowledge and expertise to the product launch.
Product Issues & Solutions
The first priority will be ensuring that the catheter is consistently safe and meets appropriate specifications. If our product is unsafe, then it is irrelevant how well our marketing is, as neither the