Marty's Minute

How many times have you heard people say "nothing personal, it's just business"? It’s almost as if by saying this, it helps them to justify their actions.

The greatest compliment we can receive at Advoco is for our clients refer to us as their "Trusted Advisor." We work hard to earn that title, and as you may guess, it does not come easy.

One of the fears I have as a leader is that if I delegate my work maybe, just maybe, I won't be needed anymore. Is this a fear you have? To be honest, I'm slightly embarrassed that I feel this way. Is it self-righteous to think that I am the only person who can do that task correctly? Will whoever I delegate to really not complete the task as well as I would have? Or is the real fear that if I delegate my work, then I won't be needed?

One of the challenges of being a leader is getting the most out of your people. As the pressure mounts to maximize productivity, we have to be careful how we accomplish this goal. Through the years, I have observed a number of leaders and bosses that manage their people in a variety of ways. The one thing that has stuck out to me is the difference between a true leader and a boss. The distinct difference is the way they treat their people.

Have we gone too far in the automation of our systems? Have we taken service out of customer service? Have we become a society where we trust no one, not even our front-line agents to help our customers? Charles Krulak, one of the great marine generals of our time, has a theory he developed, Krulak’s Law. Krulak's Law is around giving responsibility and autonomy to those on the front-line. Because after all, those employees that are face to face with the actual customers have a great deal of power over the brand.

Think about it: all interactions with people, good or bad, will shape the way we think, the way we act, and the people we become. As I think back on my career, some of the people who shaped me the most were the ones I knew I never wanted to be like. The ones who interacted with peers and clients like they were objects and not people. The ones who did not adhere to the Golden Rule, "Treat others as you'd want to be treated." The ones who were only out for themselves.

“Are you in the arena?” Teddy Roosevelt wrote this in a speech he gave in 1910 and it is still incredibly relevant. I keep asking myself, where are the great leaders today? Ask yourself: are you a critic or a person in the arena? I’m willing to bet that your answer to this will reveal some interesting things about yourself. I hope you will strive to be a person in the arena.