Week 4 – Theories in Action

I wasn’t entirely sure when or where I’d be able to make connections to my Jepson education during my internship. I’m not working in a large office or vibrant company. I work closely with two other people and the rest of the company I’ve met solely through Zoom. I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet with other startups in the building and have learned a lot about the startup ecosystem and how it maintains a constant cycle of failure and success. But after my fourth week and my weekly debrief with my boss Casey, I found my connection.

In Theories and Models, Fielder’s Contingency Theory was one we often discussed. Fielder’s theory ascertains that leader effectiveness depends mainly on the qualities or traits of the leader as well as the demands of the situation. A combination of relational and task-oriented styles have varied effectiveness, but I think Casey embodies this theory perfectly.

Casey is a very unique leader. He founded Bionica Labs from an idea and has built the company up since. Securing large amounts of funding and interest in his company, Casey is now in the next phase of expanding Bionica Labs. However, he isn’t driven to the point where he doesn’t care about his staff. He actively engages with his team and rarely has anything negative to say. Casey is a unique leader to observe because although he would probably be labeled as a task-oriented leader, his relational and personable qualities don’t detract from the effectiveness of the company.

This was especially apparent after one of my weekly meetings with Casey. In our discussion, Casey was invested in hearing about my experience. He wanted to know how I was, how my time with Bionica Labs has been and also how I felt about what I have been doing thus far. We spent nearly an hour talking about my time as an intern and how I’ve enjoyed the tasks as well as the long-term projects assigned to me. Instead of solely going over my report for the week, Casey valued my opinion about the internship experience above the need to accomplish a task. Throughout the week we both have many things to accomplish and get done. Having this extended conversation regarding just my experience really emphasized how much Casey cares about his employees and their wellbeing.

I think Casey does an excellent job with reading a situation and understanding what needs to get done. He can crank through a nearly 50-page proposal in a day and still makes time to ensure that the intern is happy. He also loves to fill the small office with laughs, often pulling out a reference or cracking a joke. Casey’s ability to react almost immediately to any given situation that may arise makes him the ideal leader of Bionica Labs and the company has a very bright future ahead with him leading them.