Scenario

Tom Wilson is a West Coast founder of a high-end surfboard manufacturing company called Sun City Boards. The company did well the first couple of years, but things haven’t been good for a while now. They’re losing money, and Tom’s not sure how much longer they can keep the doors open. As it turns out, Tom doesn’t have a business plan or basic financial statements. Throughout the course, you will help Tom with his planning to keep his business running.

Preparation

In this exercise, you will assume a management consultant role and advise Tom on how to prioritize the four primary functions of management—planning, organizing, leading, and controlling—presented in this module.

1. Reflect on the activities and inter-dynamics of the four functions in the context of Sun City Boards.
2. Select the one function that you believe is most critical for Tom to address and develop a plan for him to address this management gap prior to a 1:1 situation evaluation meeting.

Your Task

Write a three-paragraph coaching email to Tom that includes the following:

• The most critical function to be addressed, citing specific deliverables/outcomes.
• The logic for your choice, referencing the other three functions.