OK, today is a big day. For some it may be the birth of their child. For others, it may be that one day that one client called back. Maybe for some it is a response to their child having their first piano recital (by the way, it was very cool). Maybe it is a day for someone to say “really?” And for some, it was a call to action based on the freedom to say what you think or feel. I have always been safe. I have been secular. I have shared my knowledge based on management and leadership and simply left it at that. Today is different. Today we say, “I have an opinion and I am free to share it”. Like this blog for instance.
Chick-Fil-A said this and then others said that. I ate at Chick-Fil-A today with my wife, daughters and mother/father in-law. Was I making a stand? Yeah. I believe in very specific things. I believe it is important for managers and leaders to realize they do have a voice and value to share what they believe is critical…sometimes regardless of how a message may be judged.
OK, there is always a group who has a voice. Many times “they” will have a voice and “we” will simply have to listen and understand another point of view. I define openness as the amount of time you listen to someone before rendering judgment. So when in a certain moment, are you listening? And are you sticking to what makes you “you”?
Is this really about what others would say or is this is all about being true to your belief system? As manager, we often have to take a bit of a stance, albeit not so visible or dare I say political. You just have to be and do, right? You get to answer this. One reality, a fact of business is getting things done through others, regardless of what someone says.
So what amazed me today was not the number of people who showed up, not the message or intention of either who showed up on whichever side, but how the employees said “I still have to get it done today”. It really was quite amazing. I watched how they worked with the crowds, how they engaged the lines of people and I have to say “well done”.
Let’s be real. As manager, regardless of what you believe or to what extent you believe it, the register needs to ring. Now that may seem cold or hard-hearted, we are retailers and the widget must be sold. That means, we sometimes juggle the belief system with the management system. It doesn’t make us bad or good. It just makes us retailers. This is the hard part. I chose to eat at a restaurant based on my values and Skippy, Todd and Mary showed up to work regardless of their intention or message…just simply, they were scheduled today.
I heard one couple say, “Why is there such a long line (at lunch time)?” and another couple said “It’s a political thing.” Managers, does it matter? So how do you judge today? How do you judge the overall impact of today? Or are you working the p.m. shift? Cuz it’s busy today.
Cheers