Leadership Impacts Every Level.
Leadership Impacts Every Level.
Good or bad.
One of the aspects of being a results coach is occasionally working as a “secret shopper.” This is when you go undercover and pose as a customer to observe what kind of treatment you receive. I’ve always found it very informative and valuable — not only to the employer but also for my own understanding of human nature.
I was recently working with a medical institution where there was an obvious lack of training starting with the frontline employees. They didn’t understand manners, rapport building, problem-solving, or compassion. This can sometimes happen with entry level employees due to a lack of training or poor hiring. It’s crucial to instill your values at every level of your institution.
Unfortunately, in this case, the problem was not a training issue: It was a lack of leadership at the top level. From the frontline employee to the CEO of the organization, the lack of rapport building, problem-solving, and compassion was consistent. What that means is the frontline employee is not as guilty of failing the organization’s mission as the CEO who is condoning and reinforcing this behavior in the organization’s culture.
When you have employees, you have a responsibility to clearly share your vision with everyone in the organization. More than that, everyone must buy into the same set of values and core principles in order for you to deliver a positive experience to your customers. As a leader, this falls squarely on your shoulders. If you fail to do this throughout your organization, your customers, your employees, and your reputation will suffer.
Ironically, I also surveyed a similar medical institution where the level of care was stellar at all levels. I complemented the CEO of the organization for instilling such an incredibly consistent and high level of compassion and service throughout the entire hospital. This was a testament to the CEO’s ability to inspire his staff.
Remember, good or bad, your leadership style is going to permeate throughout your entire facility.
As the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is expected. As a leader, your role is to solve problems and instill in your entire organization what it means to be professional in all situations and at all levels.
“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Colin Powell
(This excerpt is taken from my seminar entitled Survive and Thrive VI: Staying Power.) I encourage you to click here to register for my all new Survive and Thrive VI: Staying Power seminar on Thursday, November 17, 2022 from 8:30 AM to 12 noon Eastern Standard Time at Melhorn Manor in Mount Joy, PA. This event will also be available through live streaming.
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