Leaders and Managers

A while back I found a story on businessweek.com, which spoke of Brian Alger, a Toronto-area entrepreneur who bought the Pop Shoppe – a chain of soda stores, which operated most successfully in the 1970s. At its peak, the Pop Shoppe was selling 1 million bottles a day at over 1000 locations across Canada. Its product was a discount soda, which could be purchased in cases of 24 bottles where the consumers could mix and match the different flavors to their liking. The Pop Shoppe closed in 1983.

When Alger decided to bring back the Pop Shoppe, he considered the different options. As a manager, he had to examine the many alternatives and make decisions regarding the potential success of the business. He scrutinized the idea of re-opening the Pop Shoppe stores, but decided against it because today’s consumers prefer the convenience of buying their soft drinks at the same store where they get the rest of their groceries. Alger realized that placing the product on the same shelves with the multitude of other sodas would result in failure since the big companies can sell their products for less.

He decided to sell his product using the nostalgia card. Available at various stores, his soda would be a treat, which could bring back the childhood memories for the many who enjoyed it years ago. The retro appeal would attract today’s youth. Since it would be seen as more of a special treat, the higher price would be acceptable to consumers. Alger also decided to keep the original recipe formula to ensure that favorite flavors would taste just as good as they did so long ago. Additionally, he decided to keep the label on the bottle simple and understated. This would make it stand out from today’s busy soda labels. This is another way to play the nostalgia and retro cards.

I’ve chosen to share this story with you because it demonstrates the various responsibilities a manager faces while making business decisions. It also underlines the necessity to have some sort of vision of a direction for the business – clearly a task for a leader. Finally, although the story doesn’t get into any details about Alger working with a team of people, it stands to reason that his journey included placing himself in a leadership role.

Reflect on your own journey as a manager and examine how much of your daily efforts include being a leader. Once you have a better understanding of that ratio, you can tweak and adjust it to better fit it to specific situations.


http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec2005/id20051216_985463.htm?chan=sb

Leading by Example

“Do as I say, not as I do.” How well do people respond to that seemingly simple sentence? How well did you respond as a child? As an adult? As children we felt disappointment at hearing those words. As adults, that disappointment can easily morph into resentment.

Put yourself in a position of having to follow a leader who sends the message of do as I say, not as I do. Whether he actually says those words, or conveys the message with actions (or lack thereof), your response will be the same. Why should you follow a leader who doesn’t walk the walk? Would you find yourself questioning his ability to lead? How much respect would you have for him?

If you want your employees to take you seriously, all of these questions are worth asking as you examine your own position and leadership skills. Do you invite your employees to follow you as their leader by leading by example? Do you have their respect? Do you treat them as capable professionals, or as children who should simply do as you say, not as you do?

Set an example for others and inspire them to do what you want them to do by doing the right things yourself. It’ll be easier to get your employees on your team, and having their respect will make it simpler to be a more effective leader. Remember that your success as a leader is a work in progress, but it’s in your hands nonetheless. Learn from your mistakes and search for opportunities to improve yourself every day.

Creating Positive Vibes

Times are tough – they’ve been tough for a while. Your company may have experienced cutbacks and reorganization. People are stressed, overloaded, and pushed to the limit. All of this is a perfect recipe for morale problems. Once again, it’s up to you to do something about it. The simplest and least expensive thing that you as the leader/manager can do is to make sure that your employees know that you appreciate what they do. If your employees are truly putting forth their best efforts, let them know that you’re aware of their hard work.

It can be as simple as walking up to an employee to thank them for their efforts. A handshake or a pat on the back can really make a difference. You don’t have to spend half an hour chatting it up or re-living the project play-by-play. You can take a couple of minutes at a meeting to recognize someone, speak up while you pass them in the hallway, or just walk over to their desk to talk to them.

Be as specific as possible. If you’re recognizing the work someone did on a particular project, say so. If it was their suggestion or idea that made some notable difference, tell them that. Finally, if you just want to thank them for showing up each day, doing their best, and being part of the team, tell them exactly that. Most importantly, be GENUINE. Lip service can do more damage than you can imagine.

As always, there are a couple of things to consider: (1) keep an eye out for opportunities to recognize people, but don’t do so if it’s not deserved, (2) make sure that you’re not focusing on any single person in such a way that others may think you favor them, and (3) don’t thank everyone for everything all of the time – it won’t seem genuine or have the same effect.

Mind the Corporate Culture

Every company, big or small, has a culture of its own. Corporate cultures are deeply rooted and difficult to change. They also have a tremendous effect on almost all aspects of the business – from how business is conducted to how employees are treated. It’s very important that you, as the leader/manager, are not only aware of the corporate culture, but also have a fairly good understanding of it. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert on your company’s culture and its roots/history, or even buy into it completely, but you have to know enough to know how it affects you and your employees.

Take a look around and try to pinpoint some of the more obvious aspects of your company’s culture. How does it compare to other places where you worked? Are rules different for different people? We’re not necessarily talking about the kind of differences that may come with seniority, level of education, or position at the company. This is more about whether employees are being treated differently based on their gender or skin color, or simply because they’re singled out (in either a positive or negative way).

Once you’ve identified some of these main aspects of your company’s culture, consider a couple of things: (1) how do these compare with your own convictions? (2) how do these affect you and your employees? You may find that you’re not on board with every single idea, but that’s part of life. In life as in our careers, we assess the good and the bad, and decide what’s important to us and where we’re willing to compromise and/or sacrifice. An even more significant consideration are the effects corporate culture has on you and your employees. Does it support you and your employees’ success? Or does it hinder it? Is a capable and deserving employee being overlooked or held back because of race or gender?

These are difficult questions, but they must be considered. It’s your responsibility as the leader/manager to understand what’s going on around you, so that you may do your job effectively. Although identifying things that you find disagreeable or which you see as detrimental to your (or your employees’) success is crucial, you’re not expected to change corporate culture. At least not overnight. So while you may choose to work towards such change as a long-term goal, your immediate focus must be on getting creative and finding alternative ways of getting around obstacles. The better your understanding of your company’s culture, the better your chances of being successful in that environment, and therefore being able to support others more effectively.