Teacher, Teacher!

Written by Laura Moreno
31
Jul

There are about a few million articles to be found on management types and styles. There’s tons of information, maybe too much information. For our purposes, let’s keep it simple…

Step back in time to your school years. There are 3 types of teachers who stay with you for very different reasons: The Mean Teacher, The Cool Teacher and The Meaningful Teacher.

The Mean Teacher speaks for itself. It’s that one person who made you feel anxious and insecure. Everyone remembers The Mean Teacher and has a story or two to share, but can you remember what you learned? The Cool Teacher was just that; laid back, easy going and just fun to be around. This person was more friend than actual teacher but again, can you remember what you learned? That brings us to, The Meaningful Teacher. This person changed you, motivated you, gave you confidence. This teacher made you fall in love with science or writing and inspired you to be your very best! Chances are – you can absolutely remember what you learned from this teacher and decades later, you’re still grateful for the passion they had and shared.

Recently, a manager was feeling completely overwhelmed with the day to day operations of a new business. The result was staff constantly being snapped at and over critiqued (yes, there is such a thing!) He soon realized, his staff was beginning to avoid him. When you become the raging storm – your staff will run and take cover. Just like The Mean Teacher, they will feel anxious and insecure. This could be disastrous for your business! Stressed staff leads to continuous employee turnover which leads to business inconsistency and eventually stressed clientele.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity of meeting a new restaurant’s Cool Manager. He spent his time hanging with the younger crew members, playing video games on the office computer and being the all around fun guy. However, when an actual manager was needed to deal with the necessary tasks such as, an unsatisfied customer or overflow at the expediting station, Joe Cool was nowhere to be found. The senior crew never had much respect for his style and the younger crew quickly became disenchanted with his unwillingness to lead by example.

Again, restaurant disaster!

The manager who possess a “calm in the storm” attitude is the one employees can trust and approach with questions and situations. The manager willing to work side by side during the service crunch times earns the respect of crew members. It allows a manager to see first hand the challenges they face. This all leads to teachable moments and the opportunity to lead by example. Staff members will look to their manager(s) when it comes to conflict resolution and overall business rapport. This is your opportunity to become The Meaningful Manager. You’re in the unique position to motivate, inspire and bring out their very best. Chances are – your staff will remember the lessons and be grateful for the passion you have and share…

Here’s to success…

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