“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” Sheryl Sandberg
I own a small business which sells window coverings – blinds, roller shades, shutters, and the like. We sell and install them. I don’t run the business. I have a wonderful team which does that. I’m there in the business often checking on things, helping where necessary, and making decisions only I can make. I do only those things which only I can do – a practice taught to me by a military mentor. (More on that here). My activities and decisions, among others, include coaching my teammates and making decisions to keep the business financially healthy and functioning. I’m also there often to set the tone, espouse our values, communicate our vision, and bond with and care for my people.
Because I trust my people and because they are talented and champions of our values and vision, I need not jump into the commotion of day to day operations. I try to avoid that and empower them to solve problems and serve our customers guided by our ‘service’ vision. Every now and then I do need to get personally involved. For example, if one of my employees is mistreated by a customer, I’ll step in to protect them. If something has gone wrong with a sale or a product and a customer is very upset, I’ll first let one of my teammates attempt to defuse the situation but if they cannot, I’ll jump in to help. When I become involved, a message is sent…
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