Leadership 7th Edition by Andrew DuBrin, Ann Fisher, Andrew DuBrin

Exercise 16

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 fitness equipment; ten indoor tennis courts; six squash courts; one basketball court; and a variety of fitness 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 office 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 efficient, clean, and sharp as it should be for the rates we charge. So go fix it." Touchstone liked these general directives, but she thought that she would need to arrive at a few specific ideas for improvement.
Drawing from a technique she learned in a marketing course, Touchstone decided to dig into the responses in the club member suggestion box 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:
? The men's locker room is horrible because of the way the guests throw their towels on the floor. 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.
? Stop charging us for everything, such as using the tennis courts, if we are already paying hefty monthly dues.
Amy reviewed the negative themes she found among the suggestions, and then discussed them with Joe Pellagrino, a fitness 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."
What do you recommend that Touchstone do next to carry out her leadership responsibility of improving operations?