Out of the blue we received a packet of advice from the offices of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the counterterrorism expert, on what should be done about RadioShack in the aftermath of its CEO's sudden departure. We're not making this up.
It seems that McChrystal, who resigned after his staff in Afghanistan spoke all too candidly to a Rolling Stone writer, has formed a Washington Beltway consulting firm, McChrystalGroup, that advises the business world on leadership.And Chris Fussell, its head of business development, figured this space was somehow the right place to plant some ideas about how the iconic Fort Worth company should proceed.First off, and none too surprising, Fussell says former RadioShack CEO Jim Gooch's "resignation" (Resignation? The company said nothing about a voluntary leave-taking and spending more time with family or pursuing new opportunities ...) is a chance for the company to aggressively update its model and relationship with consumers."They have been faced with a perception that they are an older organization with potentially outdated practices; now is their chance to give their image a facelift by rebranding with a new CEO," he said.Uh, OK.So what can interim CEO Dorvin Lively do in the meantime to maintain effective leadership and company morale, Fussell asks, and then provides the answers:"While the organization is in a period of uncertainty, calm and confidence from senior leadership is more critical than ever. Lively can maintain company morale by reiterating the importance of an organization's ability to adapt and evolve."He must convey that what the company is going through is a function of business cycles and that RadioShack can only get better and improve from this point."Well, with so many layoffs, insecurity must have been rife even before Gooch left.Anyway, Fussell proceeds to advise the next RadioShack helmsperson."Often, the best ideas and innovations lie within the talent that exists in the organization, so the CEO will serve himself and the organization best by empowering the individuals he is leading. RadioShack employees understand the business and their specific challenges -- but the system must be ready to listen to them."That and the rest sounds like it came out of management-for-dummies boilerplate, with no looking at the problem of finding the right merchandise mix to lure folks back into the well-distributed RadioShack outlets that still dot the nation.It's like advising the last troops standing at Little Big Horn to motivate the lower ranks after Gen. Custer was killed, when what is needed is reinforcements, more ammo and a better plan. Surely someone on Gen. McChrystal's staff could see that.Student housing soldFort Worth real estate developer/investor Steve Berry has sold Edge 55, a student housing complex near TCU, to a California company.Berry's Campus Village Centre limited partnership sold the property at 3517 S. University Drive, near Bluebonnet Circle, to Sausalito-based Shore Properties, deed records show.Edge 55 was built in 2009 and has 55 units, each with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It caters to TCU juniors, seniors and graduate students.Mansfield firm soldService King Collision Repair Centers, a Richardson-based operator of collision repair facilities, said it is buying Collision Specialists of Texas in Mansfield. The deal is expected to close Oct. 12.Collision Specialists, 1580 Farm Road 157, with 40 employees, becomes Service King's 51st Texas location and its 24th center in Dallas-Fort Worth.Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727sabaker@star-telegram.comJim Fuquay, 817-390-7552jfuquay@star-telegram.comBarry Shlachter, 817-390-7718barry@star-telegram.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
