Leading by example is one of those philosophies that most of us know and firmly believe in, even if we sometimes joke, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Concepts like taking responsibility, being a good teammate, and always giving your all, seem so much more valid when the boss believes in them too. How can we expect our subordinates to take us seriously if we don’t do the same in our positions of leadership, right?
This is especially true when it comes to delivering a superior customer experience. But leading by example isn’t always all that cut-and-dry. Many in company leadership don’t work on the front lines anymore, so they’re not in a position to walk-the-walk in front of their employees. So, what can they do?
Training and Feedback, Always
The most obvious and most frequently embraced idea is to use a lot of training. This usually takes the form of seminars, group meetings, and even role-play. Then, these ideas are reinforced through some kind of observation, perhaps by floor managers who can mentor their subordinates by giving them live feedback. “You’re doing this well,” or, “You forgot to do this.”
Tools like mystery shopping can help in this endeavor, too, as this can help gauge and ultimately guide employees with real-world feedback from the customer’s point-of-view. These shops can focus on particular areas a business hopes to improve and ultimately to reward employees who fully buy in. This kind of feedback makes one-on-one instruction that much more effective as a manager can refer back to these reports and discuss what’s going on with black-and-white detail.
A Different Kind of Example
But training isn’t the only solution. As it turns out, if you want your employees to be dedicated to your customers, you have to first be dedicated to your employees. Indeed, you should treat your employees like you want them to treat your customers. If you want to really lead by example, then you can establish a baseline level of courtesy, respect, and appreciation through your relationship with your staff. Doing this tells them, “This is the kind of environment I expect around here.”
We’ve all had tough bosses. Maybe you even regard yourself as one, so this might be a hard philosophy to get behind because you’ve always held yourself to a high standard. You can’t help but hold others to a similarly high one, right? That’s understandable, even commendable. But you can always temper your words and your actions with those aforementioned qualities of courtesy, respect, and appreciation, while still being disciplined. They are not antithetical but complementary.
But remember: if you want to hold your employees to the high standard of always delivering a superior customer experience, then you should be also be willing to hold yourself to an equally high standard of delivering a great working environment, a culture that promotes positivity and success. If you want to know how successful you’ve been in creating a great work environment, then anonymous employee feedback surveys are the way to find out.
Do As We Do
At The Brandt Group, we take both mystery shopping and feedback surveys seriously because we’ve seen their power to transform struggling businesses into great ones. All too often, business owners fixate on the dollars and cents of running their companies, and no one could really blame them considering what’s at risk. A failing business doesn’t just endanger the livelihood of the business owner, but of the employees who depending on their jobs too. However, we must remember that long-term success is the residue of dedication and belief. When you invest your energy into offering the best customer experience and healthiest work environment possible, on top of great products and services, the profits will come.
Want to lead by example? Reach out today, and let’s get started on forging a company culture where courtesy, respect, and appreciation reign supreme, in both your relationships with your customers—as well as your employees.
