It’s Your Business
- Author: Terry Greenhut
- Subject Matter: Shop management
- Issue: Qualities for success
Shop management: Fourth in a series
Managers who succeed in growing profitable, enduring businesses tend to display similar traits. They have the ability to see all sides of their problems both professionally and personally and are constantly working toward finding and executing solutions. They know that they can’t do it alone, that they require the help of everyone in their business and in their personal lives, so they train themselves to work with others in varying circumstances.
Success means different things to different people. One manager might feel that barking orders at his employees and getting them to comply makes him a success. Another might think that getting the company’s profits up by any means necessary shows she is doing her job, but a really good manager of people and business knows there is a lot more to it.
The ability to balance home and work life, to have a great, positive attitude toward the business, its employees and customers, and to live each day with the enjoyment of seeing problems being solved by the team, all add to the definition of a successful manager.
So what are some of the traits these successful managers, many of whom are also successful shop owners, have in common?
Integrity
They are honest, almost to a fault, with their families, employees, customers, and suppliers. In a world in which too many people seem to be lying to get what they want, having integrity may be rare, but it commands respect and is appreciated. If you were to lose everything else but still be able to keep your integrity, you would have something of which to be very proud. In our recent presidential election, one candidate’s integrity was constantly in question over some of the decisions and actions she had taken throughout her political career. Although her supporters thought the election was in the bag, when it came right down to it, the American people had too many unanswered questions and concerns to give her their votes. They were looking for integrity, for a leader they felt they could trust and she didn’t measure up. Your employees look for that same integrity in you. They need to be able to trust you. If they can’t, then they will never be able to produce at the level you would hope them to. Always remember, they work for you, not the company name on the front door. If they respect and trust you they will want to work harder for you.
Improve self and others
Good managers are always aiming higher. They want to better themselves through education of all types including, but not limited to, reading or listening to books, attending workshops and seminars, exploring the internet, asking lots of questions of people who have been successful at what they want to do, and providing a means to educate those who work for them by sending them to classes and or providing the resources necessary for them to learn to improve.
Education builds loyalty. When you can teach people a skill that can benefit them in their career, the source is usually not forgotten. Often when they use that skill they tend to think about the person or other entity who taught it to them and are grateful.
Relatability
Some people are naturally good at relating to others, but many need to work at it. If you are one of the lucky ones who was born with the talent, that doesn’t mean you can’t improve on it. If you’re not good with people, you have a lot of work to do because good communication and understanding are keys to the success of any business. Even if you don’t have any employees, you still have customers and suppliers with whom your communication skills will allow you to get what you need accomplished. All of the people you come in contact with need to feel that you can empathize with their situations in order to get them to open up to you so you can better serve their needs, and in turn, help serve yours.
Communication is a two-way street. You can measure how well you are communicating with others by the amount and quality of the feedback you receive. If someone is quietly listening to you and isn’t offering much, if any, response, it’s hard to tell if you are getting through. A simple solution is one I learned as a public speaker: Ask a lot of questions. When you ask a question, there is a compulsion to answer; it almost automatic. Receiving feedback often leads to another question that keeps the conversation going. In business you need as much feedback as you can get from everyone with whom you deal. It’s how you keep score, how you learn what you are doing well and on what you need to improve.
We want to employ the same types of questioning techniques in relating to employees and suppliers as we do in selling to customers. The use of open-ended questions will get you far more feedback than closed ended-ones. For example, if you were to ask someone, “How was your weekend?” the answer you would probably get would consist of only a few words, but asking, “What did you do this past weekend?” calls for much more of an explanation and can easily lead to an entire conversation.
Be a good listener. Remember that your purpose in any communication is to come away with usable information, not to simply make idle chatter. Listen intently to what others are saying. Make them feel that their words are of importance to you. Asking questions about the feedback you are getting shows that you are listening and interested in the other person’s point of view. In face-to-face communication use your eyes to show interest. Look directly at the person you’re speaking with but don’t stare, that would be spooky. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by anything else that’s going on around you, especially by any electronic devices. One of the most annoying things to someone who is trying to communicate with you is for you to be texting or trying to have another conversation with someone else at the same time.
Keep your promises. Even the little ones; especially the little ones. They may be little to you but monumental to the other person. If you promise to call someone or find out a piece of information, make sure you do it. It’s those little actions, done or not, that affect relationships. Example: I bought a new Ford Explorer a few weeks ago. The model with the options I wanted was not in the dealer’s stock. He located the exact car at another Ford dealer and proceeded to do a swap to get it. The car has a roof rack and was supposed to have come with the optional crossbars for which I had paid. The crossbars did not arrive with the car so the dealer told me not to worry, he would get them and call me in a few days, that they were probably still at the other dealer. Three weeks later he called to tell me that the crossbars were in and that so were my new license plates from the state of Florida where I live. (I purchased the car in New York because I was there working for a few months and the lease on my old car was expiring so I needed to trade it in.)
I had mentioned repeatedly to the dealer that the plates on the old car needed to be transferred because they were just renewed for two years at a cost of about $300 and that these were special plates with the slogan, “Florida Salutes Veterans” on them, which I very much wanted. He assured me that it was no problem; that they do that with their Florida customers all the time; so you can imagine my upset to find out that I just paid out another $150 for a seven-month registration on plates I didn’t need or want when Florida’s transfer fee is only about $3. Even though the rest of the deal went well and I’m happy with the car, his failure or that of the office to follow through on that small detail leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. He said he would have it fixed. We’ll see, but the question is, “Does it matter?” Even if he gets the problem handled it’s an inconvenience to the customer and one that won’t be forgotten as witnessed by the fact that I’m telling you this story.
Compassion, empathy
Truly great managers of business and therefore of people is compassionate, can actually feel for another’s situation. They can empathize, which means to listen, understand and possibly offer solutions, but not sympathize, which would mean to be drawn into a problem and have it become their own. It’s a fine line and one that can easily be crossed. Having crossed it several times over my career in an effort to help people get through situations in which I never should have gotten involved, I know the cost both financially and emotionally. Keeping those types of situations at arm’s length is the best way to go.
Well organized, in control
A good manager makes it look easy. He or she is organized to the point where every step in any procedure, be it sales or management, is mapped out in advance. The sales process, the repair process, or any other process has been planned and is executed basically the same way every time, allowing for only minor deviations when called for. I used to have a sign in my office that read, “No chaos allowed,” and there isn’t any if you have a system worked out for each of the most common situations and follow it every time. Hard to do? Yes, in the beginning, but it makes life a whole lot easier in the long run. The extra time and effort you put in to developing your systems and your dedication not to waver from them will make you a better and smoother manager.
Just when you thought I was done, I’m not. Look for more traits of a good manager in our next installment.
