Description
In a case study, I don’t think there are perfect answers. However, you should write down your own thoughts and solutions. You need to describe and analyze the situation in the case and then explain why Doug Rauchs changing attitudes are right. You should follow the case study format found in my wuv edu.
Case Study
Youre driving us crazy. Youve got to back off.
by Doug Rauch, Trader Joes
Im a recovering controlaholic, as I suspect a lot of C-suite people are. My failure to recognize this problem nearly prevented Trader Joes from successfully expanding.
Bringing Trader Joes from the West Coast to the East meant we had to hire entirely new staff. We had to teach everyone Trader Joes buying philosophy, the organizational culture, the details that made us successful. In my mind, no one could do that better than I could, because no one else had the knowledge I did. I happily micromanaged the expansion.
A year or so in, theyd gotten my message just fine. The culture was instilled, the philosophy was bought into. Only I didnt see it. In my zeal to control everything, I failed to notice that it was time to take off the training wheels and let the new staff members grow into their roles. I kept micromanaging. The effect was stifling, especially on our buyers, the heart of our organization. I had always said that a buying team that doesnt make mistakes isnt worth a damn, yet I wasnt letting them make their own mistakes. They started to be afraid to take chances. It was beginning to affect the business.
In my zeal to control everything, I kept micromanaging. The effect was stifling.
Luckily for me, one intrepid senior buyer helped put a stop to all this. She approached me and said, Youre driving us crazy. Youve got to back off. Well make mistakes, but youve got to let us go.
It was a turning point. I went back to the buying team and admitted my problem. I told them I was on the wagon and that I needed them to give me regular feedback or I might fall off. We laughed about itand the company flourished.
As I worked on letting go, I came to see micromanaging as a failure to let others shine or grow. So instead of fixing problems, I focused on nurturing problem solvers. I turned Try this into What do you think we should try? I replaced the satisfaction of doing something myself, the way I wanted it done, with the joy of watching others do something their way and succeed.