The New Leader Tuesday series is dedicated to helping first-time, early career and even experienced professionals with a “beginner’s mind” progress on their journey towards effective leadership.
—
OK, perhaps the “hug”in the title of this post might best be expressed metaphorically in the form of praise. Regardless of whether you work in a hugging culture or not, it’s critical to regularly show your appreciation for the individuals who translate all of the lofty ideas from corporate into activities that serve and please customers.
And for those of you serving on the front, here are a few reasons why when you’re great at your job, you’re priceless to your organization.
5 Big Reasons why Great Front Line Leaders are Priceless:
1. Front line leaders are closest to the customer. The leaders and their troops are THE brand to your customers. Nothing sells like a reputation for remarkable treatment and nothing hurts like a customer interaction gone bad. There’s no big data or heavy investment in analytics required to know that the single biggest issue you and your firm face every day is creating a great experience for your customers. Get things right with your front line talent and you are a long way down the road to sustained success.
2. Front line leaders are your best sources of customer and competitor intelligence and ideas for continuous improvement. Front line leaders know how the customers respond to every brilliant and not-so-brilliant idea that rolls out of corporate. They know the tastes and habits and brand preferences and problems of their customers, and they know what’s going on with competition in detail, long before corporate types have analyzed the latest competitive press release. These individuals are treasure-troves of real-time, detailed customer and market information.
3. Front line leaders are the ones who execute on strategy. Everyone else plans, talks, reports, critiques and thinks about strategy execution…front-line leaders live it. Want to do a better job executing on plans where it counts…educate and support the front line leaders and let them know how important they are in this process.
4. Front line leaders directly determine how right or wrong the working environment (atmosphere) is for the employees serving the customers. A healthy, respectful working environment where employees are given quality feedback, supported for development and encouraged to cultivate and implement new ideas goes a long way to creating the work floor hustle and flow so essential for productivity.
5. Today’s front line leaders are tomorrow’s general managers and executives. Take a page from Deming and invest in cultivating and developing your talent from the floor and front line to the corporate suite. Learning the business from the front is infinitely more valuable than attempting to absorb it from on high. Give me someone who has worked in the trenches with the troops over the classroom educated chair sitter any day.
The Bottom-line for Now:
Simply stated, great front line leaders drive great results. It’s sad to see how dumb-a@@ stupid corporate types abuse and misuse the front line leaders so critical to their success. From the great field sales manager who makes her team members stronger with every coaching experience to the retail or shop floor leader who promotes a positive environment through respect, support and deft use of feedback and accountability, these are the superstars of your success. Treat them well.
—
More Professional Development Reads from Art Petty:
Don’t miss the next Leadership Caffeine-Newsletter! Register here
For more ideas on professional development-one sound bite at a time, check out Art’s latest book: Leadership Caffeine-Ideas to Energize Your Professional Development.
Order one or both books for your team. Contact Art.
New to leading or responsible for first time leaders on your team? Subscribe to Art’s New Leader’s e-News.
Leave A Comment