Hello, can you help me with with the following Step 1 and Step 2 only. My problem is the following : My current workplace would like for me to come back into the office but I need to work remotely to care for my elderly mother who is diabetic. I have a SAMPLE of what STEP 1 and STEP 2 should look like. Please let me know if you need any other information.
Step 1: Define your problem by writing a descriptive narrative. The problem must be yours to solve, and must be current (cannot be in the past). I am the sales manager for the northeast US for a medical equipment company. I have 12 direct reports, 10 of which are responsible for sales of specific product categories that range from small consumable items, software, and large specialized medical equipment in a range of different market areas. My group has a broad range of experience with some having only a few years, to some that have 20+ years. I have found that this dynamic works well, as the more experienced people act as mentors and the newer team members often bring fresh ideas and help keep the group energized. Even though everyone has their own independent goals, I actively encourage them to interact, learn from each other, and offer ideas or approaches to help each other reach their goals. I believe this group dynamic has aided in our geography having both the highest total revenue and the highest growth rate across North and South America for two out of the last three years. My problem is that I want my district’s sales to continue to increase. This has been difficult during the pandemic, however one overall market that has grown over the last several years, including during the pandemic, has been diagnostic equipment. This market has seen significant sales growth for my company in most other geographies in the US and Europe. However, despite that we have some significant diagnostic equipment companies in my geography, we have not seen the same growth prior and during the pandemic. Most of these companies are covered by one member of my team, Anthony. Anthony is my most experienced team member. He has held different roles in the company for close to 30 years and I believe has plans to retire in the next few years. Anthony has fully bought into acting as a mentor and enjoys working with the newer members of the team. The newer people also enjoy working with Anthony and routinely reach out to him for advice or his knowledge. I believe the newer people are benefiting from this; they are doing well and routinely hear that Anthony gave them advice that helped in a situation. While this is good, I get the impression that the time he dedicates to helping others has increased significantly. His sales revenue, though not terrible, has been declining both before and though the pandemic – while other people covering similar accounts in other geographies have seen significant growth. From an overall perspective, I cannot afford to have a market that should be helping drive our revenue growth, be decreasing. I have been wondering if he has lost some of the passion and drive for the sales aspect of the job and if he would prefer a different type of role. I have also wondered if this apparent lack of drive is because he knows he is approaching retirement. I need to decide how best to move forward with Anthony to achieve my goal of increasing sales. I appreciate what he brings to the overall team and the contributions he makes to others' success and don’t want to lose that aspect; however, I need stronger sales in the current area he is responsible for. I have spoken to him about focusing more on his own responsibilities but have not really seen a change in behavior. I have tried to think of some other potential solutions. I could look to have him change areas of focus to cover different accounts/markets, however I don’t think he would be receptive to this and it would also likely have a ripple effect of changes. I could also encourage him to investigate a different type of role that would have responsibilities closer to what he is doing with mentoring. This would be with our sales training group, but again, I don’t think that is what he wants, and it ultimately would not really be the same. I also could just make sure he focuses solely on his own sales responsibilities, but I don’t think this will result in much change. Step 2: Analyze the problem using the eight elements of thought, using the wheel below as a guide. Problem: · I need to continue to increase sales in my geography. One of the areas that is growing in other geographies, but not mine, is diagnostic equipment. These accounts in my area are primarily covered by my direct report, Anthony. I must decide if I should keep Anthony covering these accounts. Purpose: · I must decide if these accounts would have a greater likelihood of increased sales with having someone else covering these accounts. Questions: · Is there something that could be done to aid Anthony in increasing sales in his diagnostic equipment accounts? · Are there outside factors beyond either my or Anthony’s control that are affecting sales in this area? · Would focusing on increasing sales in other geographies and/or markets have a greater potential impact on overall revenue? · Would having someone else cover these accounts improve the chances of increasing sales? · Would Anthony be more effective in a different position? · Does Anthony’s mentoring of others impact his primary job responsibility of increasing sales? · Does the fact that Anthony is approaching retirement affecting his desire to do everything needed to be successful in his current role? Information/Data: · Anthony is my most experienced team member with over 30 years at the company · Anthony has acted as a mentor for many newer employees and enjoys this interaction. · For the US as a whole biopharmaceutical accounts have had growth between 5% - 7% each year for the last 4 years · Diagnostic equipment sales in my geography have been very mixed over the last 4 years, having negative growth in 3 out of the 4 years · The current year revenue of Anthony’s diagnostic equipment accounts is only about half (55.6%) of what it was 4 years ago, while the other sales territories in my geography are close to the same size (95.3% of what it was 4 years ago) · Many accounts in Anthony’s area have announced growth plans, including several specifically related to work on COVID. Concepts: · Sales Revenue – This is the total dollar value of sales in a specific defined geography in a specified time period. This is important because it is my and my teams to increase sales revenue each year in the geography we are responsible for. · Diagnostic Medical Equipment – This is equipment used by medical professionals to test and diagnose patient conditions. · Mentoring – This is a function often taking on by more experienced or senior team members to aid in the sharing of their knowledge and experience with newer team members. This is often not a defined responsibility of someone’s role, but still important in promoting teamwork and communication. · Sales District and Sales Territory – These are two different types of sales geographies. A sales territory is typically the responsibility of an individual and covers accounts in a specific geographic area and/or market. A sales district is a geographical area that consists of several sales territories and includes all accounts in the area and all markets. · Career Path – A person’s professional life, from one position to another, which moves in a direction so as to fulfill a person’s professional interests, desires, and needs. · Loyalty – A strong feeling of support and allegiance. In a professional setting, a manager and his/her employees strive to achieve a mutual sense of loyalty Assumptions: · If sales revenue is decreasing, then the salesperson must be doing something wrong. · Someone close to retirement may not put full effort in. · If someone appears to enjoy a specific aspect of their role, they will not perform the other aspects of their role to their full ability. · The beginning of the year is the best time to make staffing changes. · Established employees want to remain in their current roles and cover their established accounts. Point of View: · My point of view – I need to increase sales in my district which is being impacted by Anthony’s territory not performing as it should. · Anthony’s POV – Anthony has been with the company for over 30 years with many achievements during that time. Anthony is the most experienced person on my team. · Anthony’s Customers POV – Anthony does interact with several customers and a change of who they interact with may have either a positive or negative effect. · My Team’s POV – Anthony is a well-liked and respected member of the team and anything that happens to him appears to be negative or unwanted by Anthony, could impact their morale and performance. Inferences: · Anthony performs an important role in the team by training and mentoring newer employees even though his sales are down. · Since the beginning of a year is the best time to make organizational/role changes, I should have a conversation with Anthony soon about the current sales performance and what he wants to do. · Anthony must be spending too much time on mentoring, and neglecting sales. · Anthony is getting close to retirement, so he is putting less effort into growing his sales. Implications/Consequences: · Since Anthony is a well-liked and respected member of the team, the productive team atmosphere might be affected if he is unwillingly put into a different role. · If I do not have a conversation with Anthony about my concerns, his actions will not change, and the sales revenue will not improve. · If sales do not increase in Anthony’s diagnostic equipment accounts, it will affect my ability to achieve my district’s sales targets. · If I focus my effort to increase sales in Anthony’s diagnostic medical accounts and there are other areas with greater growth potential, I may miss an opportunity for an even greater impact on sales growth. 1