An Interview with George Lennon

BLT Memorandum

Date:                September 26, 2018

To:                 Bill Kohler

From:                 Tanya DeMoss

Re:                The BLT Memo – George Lennon

To hone effective business communication and relationship skills, an interview with George Lennon, Multi-Unit Franchise Owner with 12 locations at Pet Supplies Plus, took place over lunch during a routine store visit at his Naperville location. Aspiring to own and operate my own string of franchises in the future, I was anxious to hear his experience facing challenges, common forms of business writing to anticipate, and advice he could offer towards future endeavors.

Individualized Development

Lennon began his franchise with two stores, he described his biggest challenge as ineffectively communicating with his management team by attempting to develop them all the same. Frustrated by a lack of progression over a 6-month period, he decided to try an individualized development approach instead, which required him to get to know his team more intimately. Three short months after implementing the change, Lennon was able to open two new stores with the revenue generated by the improvement.

Relevance

Lennon’s most common forms of business writing consist of excel reports, emails, performance evaluations, and creating power point presentations for monthly meetings. He exhorted that I refrain from sending lengthy emails that include redundant information, instead ensure information is relevant and organized. “Often, as a franchise owner you won’t be in an office setting, you must respond to emails per mobile device and it’s aggravating trying to dissect a long email when the point could have been clearly stated in a few short sentences.”

Collaboration

I’ve chosen to major in Information and Decision Sciences due to the rapid progression in technology and lack of managers properly trained to utilize this as an invaluable resource. Lennon admitted analytics and software were skills he needed to hone, and suggested I develop a unique training approach that involves a more collaborative approach. “When numbers and percentages are discussed in upper level manager meetings, most of my staff looks distraught. Collaboration would allow them to engage and learn from one another and could potentially make the process less painful.”

This experience provided beneficial advice for my future career goals. Lennon gave impactful experience related insights and explained the importance of individualized developmental programs, honest feedback to consider when communicating with business professionals, and inventive advice on how powerful collaboration can impact your staff. I’m grateful for the opportunity and will use the information provided as tools in the future.

...