Leadership Case Study 2

Amy Touchstone Wants to Shape Up the Club

Amy Touchstone, 27, is feeling great these days, having

just been promoted to director of operations at

the East End Athletic Club. For two years previously

she worked as an administrator and receptionist at

the club, which offers a wide range of fi tness equipment,

ten indoor tennis courts, six squash courts,

one basketball court, and a variety of fi tness programs

including massages.

Reporting to Touchstone is a staff of ten people,

three of whom are full-time workers, and seven of

whom are part-timers. Her main responsibilities are

to ensure that the club is running smoothly, outside

of athletic programs and marketing. The billing offi

ce and custodial staff report to Touchstone.

When Touchstone asked her boss, the club manager,

what she was supposed to accomplish as the

director of operations, she was told, “East End isn’t

nearly as effi cient, clean, and sharp as it should be

for the rates we charge. So go fi x it.” Touchstone

liked these general directives, but she thought that

she would need to arrive at a few specifi c ideas for

improvement.

Based on a technique she learned in a marketing

course, Touchstone decided to dig into the responses

in the club member suggestion box that is located at

the front desk. Amy dug back into three months of

suggestions. The key themes for improving the club

as revealed by these suggestions were as follows:

■ Stop charging us for everything, such as using

the tennis courts, if we are already paying hefty

monthly dues.

■ The men’s locker room is horrible because of the

way the guests throw their towels on the fl oor.

These guys have no respect for the club.

■ Some of the staff don’t seem interested in the

members. Sometimes they are talking to each

other when they should be paying attention to us.

We are put on hold far too often when we call the

club.

■ Some of the people who work here act like they

are doing us a favor to let us use the facilities.

Amy reviewed the negative themes she found

among the suggestions, and then discussed them

with Joe Pellagrino, a fi tness coach whom she had

known for several years. Pellagrino said, “Don’t

worry about a handful of complainers. Only the

people with a gripe bother to put something in the

suggestion box.”

Amy thought to herself, “Joe could have a point.

Yet those suggestions seem pretty important. I

should start taking action on improvements tomorrow.

I have to think of a good way to approach the

staff.”

Questions

1. What personal characteristics of a leader should

Touchstone emphasize in bringing about improvements

in the operation of the East End

Athletic Club?

2. What leadership roles (review Chapter 1) should

Touchstone emphasize in bringing about improvements

in the operation of the club?

3. What do you recommend that Touchstone do

next to carry out her leadership responsibility of

improving operations?

Leadership Case Problem B