Turning a Company into a Family

Yellow Dog, as with most fly fishing companies, relies on close relationships between coworkers in order to create a really team atmosphere that ultimately turns into more of a family environment than a company. Everyone works in close proximity to one another as the office is structured more like a house. Most people fish together on the weekends and go to a local dive bar downtown after work together. This amount of time spent together turns Yellow Dog into a very close knit company that relies heavily on teamwork. However, in order to meet sales goals and to keep the company running smoothly, Yellow Dog relies on task oriented, stern leadership from the two owners and director of sales in order to keep Yellow Dog at the top of the fly fishing travel game.

LPC theory helps to explain what type of leader would be useful in certain situations. While Yellow Dog allows its sales team much freedom in the operation of their region, they are still responsible for meeting company goals and improving sales every year. The owners do a great job of remaining very numbers oriented while still providing the sales team with everything they need to be successful. This combination of task oriented and relationship oriented leadership works perfectly for Yellow Dog. While sales are still very numbers oriented, leaders keep the sales team motivated by their willingness to support the sales team in any way they need. Be it financial support, marketing or access to their hug network of connections in the fly fishing industry. This has even affected me as an intern, I have been very busy with tasks this summer, but Jim and Tom (the leaders) provide me with anything I need to complete the tasks and offer guidance with a smile on their face every-time. This in turn motivates me to work as hard as a possibly can. They have even given me great recommendations for career opportunities after graduation furthering my desire to give back to Yellow Dog in my professional career.