[:en]70% of c-store associates don’t like their boss. Just 17% think their manager does an “excellent” job. And an astonishing 38% say their boss is “horrible,” according to a Monster survey.
Imagine how the results at your c-store chain would change if 70% of your associates liked their boss and thought they did a good job!
How do you think that would impact the bottom line?
Experience is nice. But if your employees don’t like your management team and don’t think they do a good job, your managers have put in the time, but they haven’t learned much about effective leadership.
Here’s what to look for when choosing your leaders:
1. Ability to Inspire and Motivate
“When 332,860 bosses, peers and subordinates were asked what leadership skills—regardless of level—were viewed as the most important attributes for a successful leader, the top skill named was the ability to inspire and motivate others.” – Strategic Human Resources Management
Bureaucracy, rules, and control stifle financial growth…and your associate’s desire to do their best.
Your leaders must do everything in their power to create the type of work environment that makes most people want to come to work each day and do their best.
If they have already mastered that and aren’t getting the performance they want out of their associates, then you have to let the associates go.
You can’t force others to do their best. You can only create the framework which allows them to do so…and then get out of their way.
2. Foster Creativity and Innovation
Give your associates the general guidelines of what they must do to succeed in your organization, but let them innovate too.
This helps your store navigate all the sudden shifts in the market.
Great leaders don’t know all the answers themselves.
They understand how to stimulate progress with your associates and take your store to new heights.
3. Empathy
Many studies suggest that emotional intelligence, not intellectual intelligence, is actually the key driver of business success.
Corporate Wellness Magazine defines emotional intelligence as the ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.
And they continue,”This explains why the most successful people in the workplace are those with high emotional intelligence.”
When your leadership knows where everyone’s at emotionally, they can make decisions that keep everyone happy, engaged, and highly productive.
4. Humility
A humble leader understands they don’t have all the answers and that they can’t do everything themselves.
They accept ideas from others and even seek their help. They give credit to others when they earn it.
In other words, they’re generally likable people who work for the greater good.
Leaders mostly concerned with themselves alienate others and destroy long-term performance.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the qualities of great c-store leaders.
But if you can identify these traits in your leaders as you hire them, you will see your performance skyrocket.[:]
