I Love This
This post is so damn exciting — I love every word of it. This is an example of how "always being connected" totally works for the common person’s advantage. Complete and utter coolness.
I am drooling with anticipation to get an Edge card. I’m checking out my options now, and want to be one of the first on the Go Train in the morning with full Internet access at high speed.
Learning to Lead
I always remember reading something (not sure where) about how you are never supposed to "manage" people, but "lead" them. As I like to do, let’s go to Google for some definitions.
Google defines a manager as:
"director: someone who controls resources and expenditures"
Google defines a leader as:
"a person who rules or guides or inspires others"
Clearly, both are required to run a successful business. In my opinion, to be a good leader, you also need to be a good manager. However, my philosophy is to lead first and manage second. You can’t treat people like resources — they are not "things" or "ways to get tasks done". They are people, first and foremost. You have to be conscious of management while leading, but a good leader is not necessarily a good manager, and vice versa. It’s something to always be aware of and work on.
I was caught off-guard this afternoon while watching A&E. A show that I’ve watched in the past came on, called Inked. A bunch of folks running a tattoo parlor out of a major hotel in Vegas. Pretty cool show — plus, you get to see things like first-timers getting tattoos and nearly passing out from the pain. Very interesting.
What drew my attention in was the ability for some of the managers of the business to lead and manage properly. In the episode I saw, they were having problems with one of their receptionists, and the manager (with all of his tattoos and piercings) walked right up to her and delivered the same message that I’d expect in any board room or review - "this is unacceptable". He gave reasons why, was completely honest, and gave her ideas for moving forward. He wasn’t mean, unfair, or intimidating. She continued to under perform, and the full process for how a termination works was given to her.
I won’t lie - I would be way too scared to work in a tattoo parlor, but I’m sure that any one of the folks running that business wouldn’t be afraid to step into where I am and lead there. Maybe even a lot of people I work with on a daily basis wouldn’t be scared to step-up and lead in that scenario.
I will admit, that I’m working to try and gather as much experience as possible, and I love what I do, which makes it a lot easier. The leaders I work with and the mentors I have go above and beyond; maybe someday I will be comfortable enough to say, "yes, I could step in, learn the business, lead people and manage it accordingly."
Could you lead and manage well in a tattoo parlor?
