I want assistance with the given assignment:
Imagine that you are an independent consultant that was hired by ePrize to evaluate its culture of creativity. You have been asked to report your findings, including your assessment of the CEO, at their next company "huddle."
To prepare for this assignment, complete the following activities:
1. Read the Chapter 11 Leader in Action: "CEO Josh Linkner Builds a Culture of Creativity at ePrize." (see attachment)
2. Go to www.eprize.com and read about the company, its CEO, and the ePrize Culture Book.
CEO Josh Linkner Builds a Culture of Creativity at ePrize
Josh Linkner, age 36, is the founder and CEO of ePrize, LLC, located in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan. An excerpt of his secrets for success follows:
At ePrize we work hard to create an atmosphere that encourages creativity and empowers people to reach personal greatness. Our culture is based on respect and trust. We want to hear everyone’s ideas. Our facility is another example. Because we produce interactive promotions, games, sweepstakes and more for many of the world’s largest companies, I want it to be a vibrant, fun, crazy place. We have a 1 ,300-square-foot rooftop patio that seats 30, with couches and coffee tables. I can’t understand how companies ask their people to do creative work and then stick them in cube farms.
I believe leaders are here to serve. Our job is to empower others to reach personal greatness. My job is to maximize the potential of our organization and to make a difference. I am a life-long learner, and I try to create a learning organization. The toughest decisions are when we have a great person who is no longer right for the company. I always want to put the best interest of the company ahead of anything personal.
I really want to continue to create an amazing place for our team to work, a place that empowers people to do extraordinary things. It all gets back to our culture for me.
Like too many people, I’m a self-professed workaholic. I don’t always keep traditional of? ce hours and work a lot from home and on the weekends. I average 60 to 7 0 hours per week. I like to see my kids in the morning, and then I’m pretty focused and intense from there on out.
I have an assistant who helps with scheduling and keeping things moving at warp speed. I use a Black-Berry and in my case it’s truly a “Crack-berry.” I received about 350 e-mails per day and send about 1 50. I can’t imagine an executive in the Digital Age who doesn’t use e-mail.
I meet once a week with my core team and also have weekly one-on-ones with key people. We hold a full-company “huddle” once a month, when we rent an auditorium and bring everybody together. We share our successes, take our challenges head-on and have a great time. It really keeps us working in lockstep. Meeting with people is the lifeblood of most companies.
To keep up, I check out several web sites, including Harvard Business Review, Yahoo!, Google, Click Z, the “Wall Street Journal,” and Weather.com. And, of course, I monitor ePrize.com and CaffeineNow.com. In print, I read Harvard Business Review, Crain’s Detroit Business, The Detroit News, and BusinessWeek. I don’t read cover to cover, but I give them a good skimming, at the least. I’m currently reading a book called Mavericks at Work that talks about the importance of being bold and taking risks.
During the day, I rarely go out for lunch, and only do so for lunch meetings. I do pause during the day to walk around, visit with people or play a few jazz guitar riffs to loosen up. I have a fully colored of? ce that is warm and inviting. I keep a jazz guitar on hand to blow off steam and ignite creativity. I have a gigantic computer screen that people who visit always make fun of. And then, about two weeks later, they tell me they bought one for themselves.
No matter what’s going on, I’m always trying to make sure I’m having fun, learning, and making a difference.
Answer the following:
Question 1. Evaluate ePrize's culture of creativity, including negative and positive aspects of the culture and its impact on organizational performance.
Question 2. Assess Linkner's role in the culture, including ways he promotes and hinders creativity.
Question 3. Analyze the leadership qualities that enable Linkner to be a creative leader, using his "secrets of success" as examples.
Question 4. Rate Linkner's creative leadership style based on your findings.