Enter a store and observe the employees and you will immediately see who the officer is, but it takes a keener eye to find out who really is in charge. Here are some of my personal insights as to what makes one not just a Manager, but a Leader.
-Don't think of your rank and file as pawns. They are the ones who make (or break) a sale, and thus have a bigger contribution to the bottom line than you or I. Our role is to equip them with knowledge, discipline and self respect for them to be effective frontliners. And never, ever insult them, period.
-Your subordinates will always respect the position, but do they respect the person? They will if you are authentic. "Trust is the end result of a relationship, not an ingredient." And as in all things, it does not come automatically - it is earned.
-Don't be more concerned with the position than the job. Don't be a billing-conscious diva who demands to be acknowledged by his subordinates or is offended when he is not recognized by new employees. "The role of a leader is not to make himself powerful, but to make OTHERS more powerful."
-Get down and dirty with your employees. In every store that I opened, Mr. Philip Go, our VP for Operations, carried boxes of deliveries and even acted as a bagger in the counter. Lead by example and your people will follow.
-Be open to your employees' ideas, and listen to what they have to say. We always tell our staff to "think out of the box", but when they come up with an idea, we still insist on using ours, even if the new idea was better. Be open to the fact that there will always be a better way to do things, and that you will not always be the person to come up with them. As a leader, you always have final approval; but don't insist on always having the final say.
-Be as generous with praise as with criticism.
Remember, the role of a leader is to make more leaders out of his people. If you take charge this way, you won't have to remind your staff who's boss - they will look up to you, regardless of your position.
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