…I could see you were having a bad morning when I waited in the drive thru for 10 minutes and you never came. When I came in the store you were loading bread in the oven, taking care of a cranky mom in the drive thru and trying to smile at me as I walked in the door. Yes, I was inconvenienced but as I talked to you and realized you were all alone and your reinforcements was a new kid (that you also had to train) I realized you didn’t need my scolding, you needed my smile. So, I waited and cheered her on as she prepared my egg white and cheese on whole wheat flatbread. I told her it would get better…I lied.
I left there thinking that the owner/manager of that establishment did her a disservice. She was not set up for success. She was not and thus the business was not set up for a win. I then began to think about all the times I was in her shoes, either led poorly or not at all. I began to feel a certain self righteousness about us little people. Until I realized I too am a leader. I realized that even recently that I have not set my team up for success. I have often left them untrained, unprepared, undermanned and simply criticized the product.
“Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11a
When you lead people you must…
- Cast Vision – people will do almost any WHAT if you give them the WHY.
- Resource them – via training, money, staff, equipment…give them what they need to accomplish the goals you set.
- Inspect what you expect – know what they are doing throughout the process and limit the surprises.
- Encourage – celebrate successes, no matter how small.
- Repeat – always go back to the vision…recast it often.
Sean Rheaume 