CHALLENGES TO CHOOSE A LEADER

The Board of Directors of Himal battery recommended the creation of a new

marketing department taking into account the increasing sales of battery all over the
country. The Board was looking for a person who was capable of leading the
department. Instead of hiring from outside, the Board decided to make an internal
promotion from among the qualified senior employees who could take over the
responsibility and were capable of leading the department. After scrutinizing the
profile of different possible candidates, the Director put forward two main choices in
the Board: Ramesh Giri and Mahesh Basu.
Mr. Giri is recognized as an employee having a good track record of working in the
company for 8 years. He is a person with a great drive and initiative in all of his
endeavors. From the beginning of his career in HimalBattery, he has worked
aggressively and received the nick name of “go-getter” in the department where he
has worked. He is more concerned with ends rather than means. Many other people
who have worked with recognize him as a good leader who is always concerned with
the results and actions. He always keeps performance records of his subordinates and
acknowledges immediately who works with the best effort and commitment. Upon
good performance, he decides immediately to reward his subordinates. In fact, he is a
quick decision maker who takes full responsibility for his decisions and actions in the
Company.

The next person behind Mr. Giri in the race is Mr. Basu who has been working in the
Company for 10 years. He is an open-minded person. There is respect for him in the
department where he is working. In terms of performance, he is rated first by the top
management and by his subordinates. However, he is different from Mr. Giri. He is
not aggressive and quick enough in comparison to Mr. Giri. While making any
decision, he prefers to consult with his seniors and juniors and keeps them informed
on what he really wants to achieve. He looks for cooperation and shares ideas on how
to use resources appropriately. Unlike Mr. Giri, he is more concerned with means. He
emphasizes the workers’ participation in order to raise individual contribution at
work. When he was the head of employees in the past, production had increased.

Questions:
1. What personality traits do you find in Mr. Giri and Mr. Basu?
2. Which personality traits are important to work as the head of marketing
department?
3. If you are given the opportunity to choose either Mr. Giri or Mr. Basu,
whom will you prefer? Why.