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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page paper. In early March 2002, Dan Spalding, CEO of School Specialty Inc., suffered a fatal heart attack. This essay describes Spalding's leadership style and that of his successor, David Vander Zanden. The two men were not only colleagues, they were personal friends. The writer also reports how Vander Zanden has followed the legacy of his predecessor. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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2147483647 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MM12_PGschsp.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
unexpected death of Dan Spalding, CEO of School Specialty Inc.; Spalding suffered a fatal heart attack in March 2002 while on a skiing trip (Boardman, 2002). Spalding had tried many
times to have good friend David Vander Zanden, who was president and chief operating officer of the company join him on his ski trips (Boardman, 2002). As it happened, Vander
Zanden and his wife did join Spalding and his wife on this fateful trip (Boardman, 2002). Leaving his own grief in abeyance, Vander Zanden carried on with the tasks that
needed to be done - notifying the family, preparing a press release and notifying Wall Street of the death of the companys CEO (Boardman, 2002). Vander Zanden also called Mary
Kabacinski, chief financial officer, and told her to arrange a conference call with the board of directors (Boardman, 2002). Spalding was a charismatic and visionary leader, a man who developed
relationships built on trust and who developed those relationships with customers, suppliers and vendors as well as with employees (Boardman, 2002). Spalding had saved the company from bankruptcy 12
years earlier when he took the reins and led School Specialty Inc. to become "a non-textbook school supplies powerhouse" (Boardman, 2002, p. ITEM02209001). One of Spaldings strategies was to acquire
"competitors and then [integrate] them quickly to build School Specialtys revenues and offerings" (Boardman, 2002, p. ITEM02209001). This is the same vision and tactic for Vander Zanden, who reluctantly took
the position of CEO after refusing it several times (Boardman, 2002). Vander Zanden shares many of the same characteristics with Spalding - a visionary, friendly, and he believes in
Spaldings strategy of acquiring competitors (Boardman, 2002). The two leaders are different in one important aspect - Vander Zanden does not like talking to and visiting Wall Street investment firms
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