One great benefit of being in the training field is that I come in contact with many successful business owners and managers. Some of their stories are truly remarkable. To reach the levels of both sales volume and longevity that their firms have attained, they have obviously done a great deal of things well in their history.
My observation is that these past successes can be both a blessing and a curse. As we all become more “seasoned” veterans, there can be a tendency to adopt an attitude of “I did it this way and was successful, so you should too” when both training and delegating assignments to their staff members.
It’s true that you’ve attained your position because your methods were successful, but this way of sharing your ideas can leave your team feeling preached to and demoralized. It sends the message that it’s your way or the highway, and can take away the pride associated with employees owning their own process.
Methods of conducting business age over time, the same way that the merchandise that you sell does. The best managers impart the message that while the values that made their companies successful are not negotiable, the processes that will carry them into the future are always open for discussion. How flexible is your management style?
Tom Jennings
