Managing different personalities can be very difficult. Not everyone responds the same way to criticism or even compliments. This can be difficult because as leaders, we have to be very tactful about our approach. This can be true for us as professional leaders and leaders in the home.

We have to study each person individually and learn all we can about them. I oversee 6 different managers on a daily basis. I spend as much time with each of them as I can throughout the week. However, each one of these managers are different. Understanding them is vital for my success in my position. I always try to enter with a plan for the day, however understanding each person allows me to quickly learn if my plan can play out during the day.

For example: 

If my plan is to go over a business plan or previous month’s numbers and I walk into high stress and chaos, I have to know that my plan can wait. I then have to make a decisive choice on what to do next. In most cases, I will bring myself back a notch and assist the manager however I can. This might mean acting as a team member for the day or seeing where the team has gotten behind and catch them up. Sometimes, there isn’t time for the manager to communicate to me what needs to be done. This causes me to be instinctual when I walk in the door and begin studying the environment.

Our overall goal is to build a positive culture. This should be the goal of any business because it allows for a positive environment and happy team members. However, this begins with the leader of the store. That positive culture has to trickle down from the top and if it doesn’t, there will be a halt in the culture like a brick wall.

There are times when my plan is diverted so much that I will remove the Manager from the store, for a short time, and help take the trash out or take them to lunch. Again, understanding when this is necessary is very important.

Leadership is one of the most difficult things to understand because there are so many layers to it. Someone who studies leadership will never truly understand it because it is always evolving. I believe leaders truly understand how to make other people feel good. They build others up and equip them with the tools to be successful in their own way. They do not cast others down with harsh words, unless it is truly needed for that individual to grow. Again, understanding someone’s personality is crucial here. If I know someone responds well to intense conversations and harsh talks, we will have more of those when needed. However, if someone is more sensitive and delicate, having a harsh talk will force them to be discouraged and give up. That is why entering into a new position at any level is hard. Leaders have to take time to study their audience and who they will be working with.

It can take a long time to build a relationship of trust. People have a tendency to put barriers up when they feel uncomfortable. Leadership allows us to break through those barriers to build trust. How do you break through a barrier?

Humility. Being Genuine. Confidence. 

We have to be humble. Always. We cannot, as men, let our ego’s take over. This can be hard, very hard. We want to be the one in charge and the one that everyone loves, all the time. We want people to respect us and give us their attention at all times. But this isn’t realistic, is it?

We have to earn those qualities. We have to prove to others that we deserve those qualities. This is earned through hard work. Very hard work. Not just showing up and doing 50%. This society is all about “Do less, Expect more.” We as men have to be better than this!!

If we have what I call a “Part-time” mindset at work, this will carry over into every aspect of our life. We have to fight to overcome this everyday and rally together to give each other support to grow for our families and our friends. We have to develop an Ownership mentality instead of a Renters mentality. When you rent an apartment, you are not required to take care of it because at the end of the day, it is not your property. However, when you own a house, you are very careful with all that goes into it because you are responsible if something breaks.

This is the mentality we have to have in life as well. We have to take ownership of everything we have and take care of it. We cannot just rent our life and if something breaks, hope someone else fixes it. Own it!

Use each day to grow and get better. Use trial and error to see what will work and what doesn’t work. Study your audience and begin to understand the people you surround yourself with everyday. Be humble, genuine and have confidence in everything you do. And above all else, work your ass off!