1. Estee Lauder’s Management Evaluated
Estee Lauder is a long standing American cosmetic and luxury skin care line. They have
created Clinique and Origins over ten years ago. Now Estee Lauder has vendor property right
for various other brands such as Bobby Brown, Smash Box, Coach Fragrances, Lab Series,
Tommy Hilfiger Colognes, Sean John, and other various brand names. The Estee Lauder is a
well-known for their high-quality, innovative products as well as their customized customer
service driven. There are free standing stores as well as the employees located in Macy’s,
Nostrums, and Military Locations. Estee Lauder want management at all levels to have the skills
to lead themselves, lead the team, and lead the organization. When the employees lead
themselves they will think strategically, strive for excellence in execution. When leading the
team, managers should align and engage the team in the vision, embrace and initiate change,
develop talents and capabilities, and energize and enable others. Lastly by leading the
organization there those managers should build collaborative relationships, demonstrate learning
agility, and lastly drive creativity and innovation.
There are two weaknesses within the Estee Lauder organization. The first is their ever
changing use of nonverbal communication within the management. The second is the Estee
Lauder Company supplying their vendors and stores with proper supplies in a timely manner.
Nonverbal communication is a serious problem within the Estee Lauder lower management.
There are silver tongues and fake faces. The subconscious apparently betrays the speaker
through this nonverbal leakage (194). The industry has a large concentration of women within
the company. This has posed a problem in the past as well as present. Estee Lauder looks for
ways to improve their counter manager quality before hiring by requiring the counter managers
to do questionnaire called talent plus. Potential prospects are interviewed using a structured

2. interviews and assessments that evaluate the core strengths of the individuals. There is on flaw
within the system that fails to grasp is that people change and their talents can evolve. These
changes can occur over a period of time or with on specific event with in an individual’s life.
With each talent there are also weaknesses. The weaknesses are identified by their strengths
being highlighted. This gives a positive stigma while a company can decide where each
individual will be greatly suited. A sales manager is going to want to advance themselves, build
the team, and build the company. “High-Touch has been integral in making The Estée Lauder
Companies the global leader in prestige beauty” (Lauder). Managers are supposed to be the
module for Estee Lauder’s vision and standards of service.
Estee Lauder is filled with various characters with unique back grounds all around the
world. You can find employees from all over the world such as South Korea, Montana,
Tennessee, and Italy. This requires managers at all levels to be culturally sensitive not just with
the working together but working with customers who could easily switch. Estee Lauder is built
on customers buying the products not just because they work but customers come back because
of the service and relationships they build. The nonverbal subtleties become more apparent. The
patterns and speech have been heard countless times that by solely observing each other every
one learns the ways. One nonverbal communicant that is repeatedly used is emblems. Another
issue that is within the Estee Lauder Navy Exchange Management is the spatial zones that are
practiced while at work. Many of the employees enter the personal spatial zone while
conversing with each other. Entering this spatial zone is a sign a friendship however it can also
be an invasion. The question arises when does it becomes an invasion.
The second kink in the Estee Lauder Company’s management is providing supplies when
requested. This includes stock, samples, cleaning supplies, and various needs. The Estee Lauder

3. headquarters are located in New York and the time difference between store locations has caused
this rift. The longer the supplies take to get to the stores the sales drop. The upper management
does not take this into account and fails to locate the problem and fix it. This ongoing process
will never end until the departments can strategically become problem solvers.
At the Navy Exchange Pearl Harbor there are three Estee Lauder Counter Managers,
Estee Lauder, Clinique, and Origins. Yumi is the counter manager for Estee Lauder. She is a
mid-sized late 40’s woman who has working for Estee Lauder for 15 years. She has been
counter manager at the Navy Exchange location for 5. Stephanie, the Clinique counter manager,
has worked for Estee Lauder for 10 years. Kristie is the counter manager for Origins and has
been at that location for 1 year. She is in her early 40’s and is small and petite. Kristie worked
with the Estee Lauder Company for 15 years as well. All three have no education in
management but do have years of experience. Above all three is the account executive manager
Nuala. Nuala is a new account executive with a BSBA in Marketing. Younger than all the
counter managers she has struggled to fill all of the responsibilities with paper. Silly student
errors one would say. After a year of employment she is still struggling to contact other
branches to ensure supplies are received.
The counter managers have little to no obligation to work together through paper work or
sales. Yumi and Stephanie go to Kristie once a month to ask her to locate and review their end
of the month sales. Kristie complies and attempts to teach them repeatedly. Yumi also comes to
Kristie for blank schedule sheets and end of the month trackers. Kristie continues to hand out
these precious resources and time.
On several occasions Kristie has expressed annoyance to her Origin employees Kehaul,
and Chelsea. Kehaul sides with Kristie and reacts defensively. Chelsea has suggested multiple

4. times that the problem needs to be addressed with neither Yumi nor Stephanie. Chelsea said, “If
they are unwilling to learn then the account manager Nuala should address the issue. They are
supposed to be trusted to guide the counter to success and how can Yumi and Stephanie achieve
their goals if they push their paperwork off on another.” Kristie rejected Chelsea’s suggestion
and continues to assist the others. After the dismissive attitude of Kristie, Chelsea became less
responsive to Kristie’s complaints.
Origins counter continue to thrive and there is trust in the manager Kristie by both her
employees Kehaul and Chelsea. Kehaul and Chelsea confided in there manager about their
personal lives. Usually it is light conversations like what they did the past weekend and what
trips they plan to take next weekend. For a considerate amount of time Kristie has shown loyalty
to them however circumstances have changed since the counter has experienced a drop in sales.
Now idles hands have become the devil’s play thing. An old biblical proverb that is interpreted
as that nothing good comes from doing nothing. As a result there is more talking than working.
As counter manager, Kristie has stated that “there is only so much cleaning that can be done.”
The first kink in the Estee Lauder Company was the standard the counter managers
executed versus the standard the Estee Lauder Company set. The account manager Nuala needs
to reevaluate her counter manager in the High-Touch Leadership Competencies. The evaluation
on each counter manager the strengths and weaknesses in leading themselves, team, and
organization will be identified. As account manager, Nuala would address each individual and
explain their weakness the counter manager. Estee lauder is a prestige company that sets high
standards on each level and those standards should be met. With permission from corporate,
each manager would be given an alluded time to progress. Each will be reevaluated and their
position and roles will be reconsidered.

5. The second problem that will need to addressed is the lack of supplies delivered to the
Navy Exchanges Estee Lauder vendors. It takes 6 weeks for shipments to make it to the State of
Hawaii. This problem would be solved by sending samples, supplies, and paper work 6 weeks
prior. This would prevent holding an event later than the original scheduled time. If there are
supplies and samples given on time the vendor’s clientele will expand as well as the sale revenue
will increase. This also creates a positive relationship with the vendor managers and the account
executives as well as the buyers. By continuously maintaining the relationships between each
branch of the company there can be growth revenue.
If all source of problems are addressed the Estee Lauder companies will move smoothly
thorough all business transactions. Estee Lauder companies are "Bringing the best to everyone
we touch and being the best in everything we do" (Lauder). All manager at all levels should
take initiative and follow Estee Lauder’s example so the company can continue to set the
example in the prestige cosmetic industry.