"Leadership" in a firm can be defined as the "El Dorado" pursued by all Managers within their teams. Those who achieve glory in the quest, find in their hands the key to opens all doors to success for the company, while managers who fail or do not even try are left to achieve their goals by only the word of their authority. Honestly, I would not be in the shoes of any of the executives from the latter group. During my 22 years as a professional in Retail and Franchise management, I always tried not to deviate from that particular road towards El Dorado. And it was my constancy along that path which allowed me to attain things as incredible as having all employees on board with a shared dream, making everyone feel proud to belong to that company and as they often say, that "feel the colors "of the brand.
How do I do it? While it may not be the only way, I am convinced that these following concepts will help you to continue taking firm steps towards your goal: fostering leadership in your teams. The advice or behavioral suggestions that you will read below are very simple, perhaps even just common sense or "truisms", but as my colleague Alfonso Rebuelta mentioned in his post, "back to basics”, getting back to the essential may help us rediscover our way.
A manager should lead by example.
"You can never demand from others what you do not demand from yourself."
This is a maxim that one should always keep in mind in their day to day. I personally used to be first to the office and last to leave. Also, in my free moments I tried to visit the chain’s points of sales to greet people and worry a bit about the day to day. Retail chains, by nature, require a special type of leadership that is very close to its sales outlets.
For example, a habit that I have always liked to implement in all companies in which I have participated is to provide my mobile phone number to everyone. If our stores are open 365 days a year, the CEO of the company should also be operative 365 days a year, and in turn, of course, all the managers that report directly to him/her. Experience tells you that, in practice, the number of calls you receive is actually very small. In reality the Manager of each point of sale only gets in touch with you when absolutely necessary. However, the tranquility that this act gives them all allows, in most cases, for them to solve the problems that arise themselves. In short, an Executive in the Retail sector needs to internalize that he/she works for a company open to the public 365 days a year and that the central office’s only reason for existing is to provide continuing support these business units.
But of course, you have to pick up the phone.
The business world works like your private life.
"Treat others as you would like them to treat you. "
In 2 words: Be empathetic. If there were a manual on the "rights and obligations" of a boss, I'm sure it will never include a chapter on how a leader has the right to disrespect others.
On the other hand, I've always liked to blend the personal and professional with those people who have been in my direct line of command. I think to win leadership of your team you must have time for your employees, both for professional issues and personal ones. I consider between 4 and 6 people to be the ideal number of professionals in your direct line of command. If you have more, it’s very difficult to interact properly with them and keep them motivated. Personally, I've always liked to know when their birthdays are, those of their spouses and children, their anniversary, and so on, in order to make some small gesture towards them on each of these special moments in their lives as people.
I realize that I passed by some important stops on this imaginary road towards leadership. So, in my next posts I will return to today’s last point to try to show how my experiences can provide valuable ideas for your work. In particular I will try to recommend some practices to minimize conflicts between departments, and I will tell you a case study that will surely convince you of the importance of leadership by having all your employees "feel the colors" of your brand.