I'm Not Really a Waitress by Suzi Weiss-Fischmann

Author:Suzi Weiss-Fischmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2019-02-18T16:00:00+00:00

Pale to the Chief

While all this expansion was occurring, I was coming into my own as both a business and a civic leader. Like everything else it was happening in the midst of the chaos, and I was learning on the fly. But I do think there were core aspects of my leadership style that came naturally and grew to maturity within the family environment at OPI.

For one, I never, ever micromanaged. I really believe in hiring the very best people and then letting them do their thing. By “the very best,” I mean people who can do the job better than anyone and who fit into your company culture by sharing your vision and your enthusiasm to carry it out. The only thing I need to see is the results. Giving employees their autonomy gives them your vote of confidence and empowers them to take ownership of their responsibilities and become personally invested in their jobs. Empowering employees is one of the best things a manager can do, and personally, I find it such a turnoff when managers get too involved in employees’ day-to-day jobs or nitpick every detail. Far better is to hire employees you can trust and then let them grow and mature in their positions.

I also led by example. With the exception of computers and accounting—which for the good of everyone I left entirely to others—I could do any task I expected of employees. Over the years I’d done everything, from the physical labor of sweeping the floors and filling and labeling bottles, to the mental work of researching color trends and devising marketing strategies, to the plain old footwork of traveling the world to promote and sell our products. My feeling is that you can’t very well train someone in a task, and certainly can’t critique them or show them a better way, unless you know experientially what you’re doing.

And as the boss, you are the model. This is a job that never ends. You are always on display; employees look to you as the standard-bearer and as the one who inspires. Whether it’s your enthusiasm for the job, your role in communicating the brand’s vision, or your personal work ethic, employees are looking to you as their role model. When you stride through those doors the spotlight is on you, and you need to be on your A-game. Especially in the early years, I had quite a few doubts. There were plenty of nights I didn’t sleep a wink and stayed awake fretting. But in the morning I put all of that aside—it was showtime. I went to work with a positive attitude, ready to make it happen no matter what and to be the best role model I could be for the team.

My own role model when it came to a strong work ethic was my father. More than anyone, he instilled in me the ability to work hard. “Things don’t just happen,” he said. “You have to make them happen.” This lesson became all the more poignant for me after his death in 2003.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.