Fortuga Case Study

852 Words2 Pages

Overview
After thirty years at the helm of Fortuga Artisans, Inc., a home décor manufacturing company, founded Peter Fortuga in 2011 announced his retirement to a staff of 600 individuals. Immediately, the board of directors searched for his replacement and found Doug Jeffers, a well-known interior designer, to replace Fortuga as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A charismatic, hard-working, and well-connected individual, Jeffers appeared to be qualified through his innovative approach to lead the company to new heights.
Problems and Issues
However, Jeffers tenure as CEO was turbulent and within two years employee turnover increased with notable resignations from vice presidents and his executive assistant. Employees found him unapproachable, …show more content…

As a result, Jeffers personified the negative characteristics of charismatic leaders, and he is the antithesis of the positive attributes. The public perception is Jeffers gregarious, when in fact, he was unresponsive to feedback and disregarded company policies these traits embody a charismatic leader (Spahr, 2016). Additionally, his leadership style is autocratic rather than democratic, and while in particular industries that approach may be advantageous that is not the case at Fortuga. Furthermore, he was chauvinistic resulting in the resignation of two out of his three female vice presidents. As a result, employee engagement was at an all-time low and staff talked to Fortuga’s biggest competitor about employment opportunities. These characteristics reinforce the discernment, in addition to this other traits, he is a narcissistic leader too. According to Maccoby (2000), the negative traits of a narcissistic leader include poor listening and lack of empathy. At the same time, these leaders exhibit superior vision and have an inordinate number of followers, including the board of directors and public. …show more content…

For example, leaders must encourage an open dialogue and make sure all the key players are involved in the discussion. The goal is to have an open and honest conversation. As a result, the organization can reach decisions which are in the best long-term interest of the company (Harvey, Novicevic, Buckley, & Halbesleben, 2004). In effect, the leader can enhance team effectiveness through honest, and open participation in decision-making while empowering employees and managers. A level playing level and supplying each person with the necessary information to craft the best decision is a necessity. Kouzes and Posner (2007), examined leaders aptitude to inspire individual and determined passion is vital. However, inspiration and consideration of the team are essential. After all, having the skills to encourage people may mean the difference between success or failure at

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