Wolfgang Keller at Knigsbru-Hellas A.E.

(A)

Overarching problems that come to the forefront at KnigsbruHellas A.E. stem from issues typical of young managers. Such
problems can be categorized into two primary areas: (a)
performance management and (b) how to become an eff ective
leader.
Keller young leader, evident by his leadership style and his
biological age.
Earning the respect of his subordinates as well as his superiors
poised some challenges.
Keller- tended to be micromanager, exhibited poor interpersonal
skills. Has a propensity to enjoy making key decisions; achieving results;
overcoming obstacles; and promoting innovation. Conversely, he does not
enjoy spending time recognizing his teams contributions; being empathetic
or focusing on the emotional needs of his team; providing clear direction; or
dealing with team members who do not meet his standards.
Keller- exhibits positive and negative leadership styles.
Wolfgang Keller and Dimitri Brodsky, fall short in certain areas of what
leaders do.
L e a d e r s re l e n t l e s s l y u p g r a d e t h e i r t e a m , u s i n g e v e r y e n c o u n t
e r a s a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o evaluate, coach, and build self-confi dence.
Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe
it. Leaders get into everyone's skin, exuding positive energy and optimism.
Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency, and credit.
Keller clearly did not view his encounters with Brodsky as opportunities to
evaluate, coach, and build self-confi dence. From an operations
perspective, Keller and Brodsky both exhibited strengths. The
interpersonal skills that Brodsky lacked regarding social situations and his
nature of procrastinating were exactly what Keller possessed
as strengths. Instead of micromanaging Brodskys business by
employing a hands-on approach, Keller should have taken the opportunity t o
l e a d b y e x a m p l e , m o d e l t h e w a y , a n d c o a c h B ro d s ky. T h i s
w o u l d h a v e b u i l t B ro d s ky s s e l fc o n fi d e n c e a n d c r e d i b i l i t y a m o n g s t h i s s u b o r d i n a t e s a n d
K e l l e r s c r e d i b i l i t y w i t h h i s subordinates and superiors.
Consistent with statements made by Dr. Haussler in Kellers performance
review, Keller did not fully comprehend the vision of Knigsbru-Hellas

A.E.; making it diffi cult for him to inspire it amongst his team. In
fact, his hands-on approach refl ected his weaknesses of
poor communication, lack of candor, and not being a team player.
This is further evidenced by the reality that Brodskys two performance
appraisals offered elements of surprise. If Keller had taken the approach of
being candid with Brodsky throughout the two year time period and had
served as a mentor and coach to him, there would not be any surprises in
the performance appraisal. Keller needed to empower Brodsky to do his
job by providing the proper tools such as setting specifi c,
measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely goals. Keller also
needed to encourage two-way c o m m u n i c a t i o n .
Ke l l e r a l s o n e e d s t o i n c o r p o r a t e t h e p e r s o n a l attributes
of empathy, self-awareness, self-confi dence, and self-control.
Possession of theseattributes represents emotional intelligence and
will enable Keller and his team to succeed.