By Ashley Haun, Certified Two-Brain Business Mentor
Reality check: You will most likely become the target of the unhappiness of a client or staff member.
This will happen even though you spend countless hours worrying about the decisions you make, the feelings involved and the possible outcomes. At the end of the day, you will be the bad guy.
Guess what? I am OK with that.
Why? Because I want my staff to shine. I want to be the type of leader who allows my staff to sleep at night and do their jobs to the absolute best of their abilities without the worry of leadership decisions and the consequences of making those decisions.
So how do we enable staff to make decisions without worrying about upsetting clients or, worse, you? We empower them and we mentor them on the values and mission of the business. We also promise never to yell at them or embarrass them. We promise to put time and space between any emotions or reactions we might have. Mostly we promise to stand by them.
Leadership in Practice
A few weeks ago, my team made a decision about a client’s high-ticket gym membership. I had personally sold the client the membership that included online training and nutrition and mindset coaching.
After a few weeks, the client requested that no more payments be made toward her membership. Per our policy, the staff informed the client that the payments would need to be made and that we were happy to make any changes to her membership that were a dollar-for-dollar exchange.
The member became unhappy. Her friends became unhappy, and it started to spiral. You know the chain reaction: this friend tells that friend, and then the problem grows. People start saying things like “everyone feels this way” and “I am here to represent everyone.”
This is when it became my job to step in and lead the team, the member and her friends to understanding. I had to gain the trust of the team members and relieve their stress. So I called the member on the phone and had a wonderful conversation.
We discussed her many options at the gym for using the committed money toward any of our services. I said we would be happy to do a Goal Review Session to help her determine the best services for her. We settled on a new membership, and everyone became happy.
I then called a staff meeting. I told them I supported them in their decisions and appreciated their following the policy. This is when I earned their trust, and it also marked the end of the stress. I had led them through it, and we grew as a unit, unified by our values and vision.
Have you articulated to your team how it’s your job to support them, protect them and be a leader who allows them to do their jobs to the best of their abilities without worry?
If not, do so today and watch them thrive in their jobs!
