10 Jul HOW TO FOSTER LEADERSHIP. THINK BIGGER.
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There is a global gap between the leaders we have, and the real leaders we need.
We are fast approaching a crisis of leadership. This is the subject of my latest book Confluence. And yet our thinking about what constitutes leadership continues to be too narrow. Leading isn’t only about leading an organisation or leading people.
You can lead yourself, a program, thinking, advocacy, practice, a portfolio, a team, within a team, and much more.
I’m reminded of a story I researched years ago, as part of becoming a Certified Story Coach…
‘Patrick McCarthy is working his retail magic again, this time with Donald Peterson, the retired chairman of Ford Motor Company. Peterson is looking for a certain type of sport coat in size 43 long, which is difficult for him to get.
He calls McCarthy, a salesman in men’s clothing at Nordstrom’s flagship store in Seattle, who searches their stock, but he can’t find the jacket. So, Peterson keeps asking around at other men’s clothing stores, only to find that none have the jacket.
But a few days later McCarthy calls Peterson. He was able to make a special appeal to his supplier, and so the jacket in the right size is on its way to him.
But it wasn’t always like that. Patrick McCarthy started at Nordstrom in 1971 at age 26, and the journey was not an easy one. McCarthy almost got fired because of his poor performance, being so focused on selling that he “missed the opportunity to be a better employee.”
So, he found a mentor in the men’s department to help him discard his bad habits. What he learned helped guide his career: Remember people’s names; if you say you are going to do something, do it; always be available to customers; and go the extra distance to make sure they are cared for. “The impression you want to leave on them is you are a professional, you are not a clerk. There’s a difference,” he says. “But if you say you’re going to call them, you better do it.” He called it the spirit of intent.
He became a star performer. So much so that early in his career McCarthy was promoted to Department Manager, a post he left after a year and a half to return to sales. As he put it “Sales was what I was good at and felt comfortable with.”
To help keep track of his 12,000 customers, McCarthy had a personal customer book. At the time, it contained notes on paper and a lot of notes in his head. Long before the digital age.
McCarthy liked to get personal with his customers, ask them for their business cards, and set up future shopping dates. He remembered people’s anniversaries and their wives’ birthdays. He would allow customers to take home suits to see what their families thought about the purchase.
McCarthy earned the honour of top salesperson for fifteen years of his 30-year tenure. He was also the first employee at Nordstrom to generate $1 million in sales.
McCarthy felt empowered to pave his own career path and to bring customers along with him.
McCarthy went on to co-author what is still an international bestseller in customer service, The Nordstrom Way. He was instrumental in the creation and development of the Nordstrom induction and training program for all sales staff. Well into his 70’s, he was still a sought-after speaker internationally and his name is legendary in retail sales and customer service.’
But what if …?
What if Nordstrom’s leaders had said the only way to be successful around here is to be promoted up the management chain as a department and people leader?
What if McCarthy’s direct manager hadn’t seen his passion for sales and believed in his potential to achieve in this realm?
What if McCarthy himself had not had the courage to be ‘demoted’ to sales associate to follow his passion for what he was good at? Along the way, becoming an industry leader, fostering best practice, and sharing his knowledge with others.
What if …?
How often have you seen an organisation make its employees fit into predefined leadership roles, and definitions of what it takes to be a success, because there are no other options? And no one seems to have the vision or the courage to challenge this.
Let’s foster leadership in all its forms.
Because right now, we need all the real leaders we can get.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
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