MEMORANDUM

TO: LEISURE FUTURES REGIONAL TEAM

FROM: TYLER OPILKA
SUBJECT: INTRODUCTION
DATE: OCTOBER 1, 2017
CC: DR. HURD

My name is Tyler Opilka, I have recently been hired to be the Assistant Director of Sport
Relations here at Leisure Futures. I will now be assuming the role of Executive Officer of
Youth Hockey. After talking to Dr. Hurd about the position as well as the future direction of
the company, I wanted to personally reach out to introduce myself and give you all a little bit
of information about my background as well as some of my leadership and management
philosophies before we take this companys next step forward

A little bit about my background both in leadership and management positions throughout
my life started at a very young age becoming involved in ice hockey. Starting skating at age 4
set the foundation for a 20-year career in the sport giving me valuable experiences when it
comes to teamwork and leadership with coaches and teammates. As well as playing hockey I
was heavily involved in lacrosse and baseball from a young age as well. Growing up playing
multiple sports and staying active in the community has helped me to develop teamwork
skills as well as the ability to recognize individuals not only for their task-oriented skills but
also their personality intangibles that can lead to overall success and well-being of an
organization. It is important that you are aware of my background in athletics, specifically
hockey, on order to know where my thought and actions will be rooted in a rich history in
team-based organizations.

When it comes to leadership and management I believe the two have similarities but are not
in fact synonymous. Management is the guidance and instruction to coordinate a certain
outcome. Leadership, on the other hand, is the action of leading individuals to achieve e
desired outcome rather than instructing them. Although there is a distinct difference
between the two I personally share a very similar view on the use and implementation of
both leadership and management by putting an increased emphasis on the capabilities of all
employees. I believe leadership that I have used and seen implemented in organizations is
the Exchange Theory of Leadership. This theory places great emphasis on the exchange of
leadership roles between the leaders and followers that can be changed on a situational basis.
When it comes to management I believe a Human Resource Management approach is the
most effective, given my views on leadership as well. The reason I place so much value in
implementing this approach is because I believe it gives proper value to the individuals that
are vital to the function of the organization. These views on leadership in management are
successful because they place responsibility and value on those who are directly responsible
for the success of the company rather than placing responsibility solely on managers.
In closing, I am extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to work with all of you as
well as getting to know each one of you. I have the utmost confidence we can grow and
develop the youth hockey in the local areas well as grow as an organization. It is my belief
that everyone can be a leader and it is a skill that can be developed through practice. I intend
on giving everybody the opportunity to lead and develop these skills to not only better the
organization but also better each of us as individuals. Thank you for your attention and I
look forward to meeting all of you soon.