Steps

BASICS:

1. Always treat retail and customer service employees with the respect with which you wish to be treated. A common complaint among older customers is that “back in the day, employees knew how to treat customers”, but they forget about the fact that back in the day, customers knew how to behave in a store or public setting, and how to treat the people who work there. Be nice to people.
2. Refrain from saying things like “the customer is always right.” This statement is not always correct.
3. Never call someone stupid or incompetent, even if you think they are. Don’t verbally abuse an employee, this can cause the employee to panic or become upset.
4. Never, ever physically strike or assault a retail worker or service employee, no matter how mad you are. You can go to prison for up to five years for assaulting a retail employee, especially a cashier. If you try to blackmail them after assaulting them, it could be even longer. Don’t think you can get away with it because they will fear for their jobs if they press charges against a customer. No retail store can legally fire an employee for having an assaultive customer arrested.
5. Don’t use shopping carts as your car’s personal wastebasket and don’t leave things with your name and address in them.
6. Don’t tell the employee how to do their job. Employees hate when customers do that. They wouldn’t be working if they didn’t know what they were doing.

ALWAYS REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING WITH CASHIERS:

1. Always hand money to cashiers. They appreciate this. It is a sign that you respect them as a person. Don’t just throw the money on the counter and expect them to pick it up for you. (EXCEPTION – Don’t hand money to bank tellers or casino cashiers or croupiers. They can get in trouble for taking money from your hand.)
2. Don’t waste several minutes trying to dig the exact change out of your purse at the checkout or trying to find the credit card or store card you need to use.
3. At stores where handbaskets are used, always unload the basket onto the conveyor belt or counter.
4. Don’t yell at a cashier for being rude if s/he didn’t say or do anything. That is not only rude but also insulting.

DINING OUT

1. If you have never been in the establishment before, always be courteous. Should you come back, people tend to remember who the nice people are and who the jerks are. If you are a jerk, you will get really bad service in the future.
2. Observe the tipping customs of the country you are in at the moment. In some countries it is expected, in others it is taboo.
3. It is customary to tip about 15% in the USA and Canada. A general rule of thumb is 10% for mediocre service, 15% for average service, and 18% to 20% for good service. Even if you get bad service, it is advisable to tip something. Perhaps the person is just having a bad day. If you make it worse by tipping poorly, you will get bad service in the future.
4. Don’t tip in Japan. It is considered an insult both to the server and the owner of the establishment. There tipping is basically like saying “you need this money more than I do”. However, a “thank you” card is acceptable, and can actually be very beneficial to the server.

WHEN YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT:

1. If you are complaining about a person, don’t make the person get the manager for you. When you do this, you are giving the person at least 90 to 120 seconds to get their story straight, or accuse you of threatening them, in which case the store cannot so much as write him/her up legally.
2. Only state the facts. Don’t elaborate to try to cause someone trouble.
3. Don’t complain about a person right in front of them. When you do this, they will know everything you said. Then, they can deny everything, and in most cases, no action will ever be taken.
4. When asking for the manager by telephone, know his or her name. Don’t just ask for “the manager” because you will be asked what it is regarding, and if it is a complaint about an associate, you will be put on indefinite hold. Retail employees look out for each other because they are usually caught between a rock and a hard place, with customers who outright lie to cause them trouble, and the occasional manager who will automatically believe the customer, or at least tell them what they want to hear to soothe the situation.

Steps

1. Realize that management succeeds via the efforts of the workers. Just because you’re in charge doesn’t mean you deserve all the credit for the work being done. Your staff is responsible for the bulk of the work. You are leading them as they get it done to be sure all regulations are complied with, etc., but they are doing the actual work. Taking credit for their efforts will surely undermine your leadership.
2. Delegate responsibility and then trust your people. Micro-managers are never appreciated. Once you’ve trained someone to handle a task, allow him or her to handle it without interference. Different people have different approaches, and someone else’s way of doing something may be just as efficient as the way you would do it. Before you step in and force your way on anyone, give an honest evaluation to the method, and if you find it works just as well, even if it’s different from yours, let it be. Constantly correcting your people undercuts their confidence and does not allow them to exercise their own style.
3. Know your employees to know your strength. Watch your staff, get to know them as individuals. Understand their motives: Why do they work in this company? Why do they work in this department? What excites them? Some may love the work. Some may love the flexible hours. Some may love the retirement plan. Whatever that is, do your best to understand. That allows you to enhance, adjust and align their motives with your goals. The cream always rises to the top, and it’s your job to figure out which employees do what is required in their jobs, and which employees do all they can in their jobs. There is a huge distinction.
4. Clone yourself – many times. Once you’ve identified good candidates, teach them your job. That’s right. Teach them to be you. Most bad bosses are under the (mistaken) impression that there is something threatening about this, because the bad boss thinks that s/he is the only one who can perform a given function. The truth is, the best boss trusts his or her staff and re-creates himself many times over so that in case of emergencies, or in his absence, the Good Boss has excellent help that can be utterly relied upon. If you happen to be an entrepreneur/owner, cloning yourself means that you don’t need to go to work as much, freeing you to do as you please, knowing your business is earning as much today without you there as it would if you had to go there and slave away. And remember, too, that you’re creating another Good Boss!
5. Empower your staff to make critical decisions, and don’t second-guess them. If you’ve done a good job of training your people to be your proxies, then you must believe they are doing their best to act in your (and your company’s) best interest. Even if they make a wrong decision, or handle a situation in a way you would not have, don’t second guess or berate them. Instead, use it as yet another training opportunity. Hear out their reasons for their action – most of the time, when taken in context, there was a logical basis for what they decided to do.
   • Example: Once the employee has explained his or her rationale, try saying, “Given what you’ve told me, I now understand why that seemed like the way to go. However, in the future, I would like you to try handling it this way (then explain the way you want them to do it). If you have a problem doing it that way, you can always call me for help.”
6. Create a clear chain of command. If you are the owner and have a manager, be sure the rest of the staff understands the chain – they are to take problems to the manager first, and only if they are still unsatisfied should they escalate it to you. When leaving, say, “Franki, you’re in charge.” This lets any additional staff know who’s the boss in your absence, plus, goofy as it sounds, it makes Franki square up her shoulders and realize that she now “has the bridge.” If customers are there, so much the better – you are putting your faith and trust in Franki right in front of them. They feel it, Franki feels it – and by gracefully handing the reins to her, you just went up a notch in the esteem of your right hand woman and your customers.
7. Help them learn to work out issues without your intervention. Sometimes one or more of your staff may experience friction with others. If they come tattling on one another to you, listen to them carefully. If someone is not fulfilling his own responsibilities or is mistreating another employee, you’ll need to step in and resolve the conflict yourself. But if you’re satisfied it’s only an issue of competition or a simple personality clash, urge them to settle it between themselves. For instance:
   • Tell the complaining party, “I’m a need-to-know boss. I don’t need to know about this, it’s really between you and Juan. Let me talk to Juan, but once I have, if I don’t get back to you, it’s up to you.”
   • Talk to the other person, and upon verifying that it’s a personality issue, simply let them both know that they aren’t required to be friends, only to get along and get their work finished.
   • Defend the other to each of them: “You know, Francesca may be a little loud and talkative, but she’s the best salesperson we have, and you could learn a lot from her. Try and work it out.” and to Francesca, “Juan is a quiet guy, and it may help if you let him come to you. I think he may feel a little like you’re steamrolling him; the thing is, he’s very organized and we need him. Try a less frontal approach. I bet you guys can work this out.”
   • Tell them both you believe in their abilities to work and get along. Then leave them alone, but watch carefully. Don’t interfere unless they bicker in front of customers. Put a stop to anything like that instantly.
8. Deal with any problems quickly and directly. Any boss who is terribly busy totally understands this concept: “I don’t need all the details. Bottom line it for me.” You don’t have to be so blunt that you crush people, but being direct and honest is a big time saver, and frankly, appreciated in the end. When you see a problem, deal with it quickly and don’t nag your people about it later – let done be done. Try to relate to your employee and elicit the agreement that whatever just happened was not acceptable. Remember that your goal is to promote productive behavior and retain the respect of your employee, NOT to antagonize your people, particularly in front of others. Here’s an example:
   • Boss: “Evan. I need you in the office for a moment.” (Say this in a neutral or pleasant tone. Don’t come out in front of customers or peers with your guns blazing, bellowing, “Evan, get in the office NOW.” This is between you and Evan.) Privately, once all prying eyes are away:
     
   • Boss: “Evan, the cell phone call. Is everything okay with your family?”
   • Evan: “Yes, it was just my dad wanting some help later…”
   • Boss: “I understand that we’re all human, but when you’re with a customer, you cannot take personal calls.”
   • Evan: “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just my dad doesn’t have many opportunities to call…” (the actual problem or subject of the call is irrelevant)
   • Boss: “Right, however – when you find you can’t end a personal call immediately, I’d like you to leave the sales floor. When customers see you taking an obviously personal call instead of helping them, it looks bad for you and the store. Our customer is always to have priority unless you have an emergency, clear?”
   • Evan: “Yeah… that was my bad.”
   • Boss: “Alright. Glad you understand that. Next time, either leave the sales floor or let your phone go to voice mail, okay? Now, are you good to return to the floor?”
   • Evan: “I’m good.”
   • Boss: “Okay, get out there.”

   • And that’s it. Don’t belabour it, don’t nag him about it, just let him get on with his job. It isn’t necessary to cushion these discussions with compliments or flattery. Your employee should (A) know better than to take personal calls on the job and (B) be a grownup about discipline. You, as a Good Boss, should (A) stay cool – it’s a training opportunity, and (B) be kind and calm, but firm and clear in expressing your correction of the behavior and your expectation for the future. Excessive compliments and a constant attempt to “relate” to your staff’s personal issues are a waste of time. Get to the point quickly – but without becoming strident or making a mountain out of a molehill.
9. Tell your staff how much you appreciate them – in front of customers if possible. Never hesitate to pat your employees on the back, compliment and thank them for their excellent service – if customers are there, letting them know how you value your people can go a long way toward the customers actually having more faith in the services your business provides. When your staff feel valued and appreciated, their job means more to them than simply a paycheck. When your customers know that you, as the owner (or manager) think highly of your staff, they feel confident that they’re in good hands, and it gives you more freedom to leave your customers in the very capable hands of your staff. See how this becomes a “win-win-win”? By lifting up your employee while your customer was watching, ALL of you got something good from it – with zero downside.
10. Show your appreciation by doing things for them. They go the extra mile for you. You do something nice for them. Buy everyone lunch every other Wednesday. Be sure there’s a supply of their favorite sodas in a small fridge for them. If you get extra tickets to something you know they would enjoy, offer it to them as a bonus for work well done. Remember their birthdays, at least enough to wish them a happy day, or buy them a cupcake.
11. Share your goals with your employees. Tell them what makes you happy and ask them directly to help you reach your goals. “Hidden agendas” in a leader are damaging to morale because they create confusion in those who work for you. Tell them things like “I like to hear praise from our customers about you”, “I do not like to hear complaints from other teams about us”, “My goal is to [increase our growth by 15%] [win the best team award] next year”, etc. etc.. Trust that your employees are very much like you: They love to feel helpful and accomplished. Your job is to tell them how to achieve those feelings.
12. Learn to be an effective listener. Your employees deserve to be heard when they have concerns. Allow them to finish talking before you speak; do not assume that you know what they are going to tell you before they finish talking; do not form objections in your mind while they are talking. Instead try to be fully engaged while they are talking without making it about your rebuttal. Acknowledge their points, which does not mean that you agree, but does mean that you understand their concerns. Repeat their points in your own words to confirm, if necessary. You may not need to take any action, but hearing them out is important to their sense of empowerment and significance. Often, simply saying, “I appreciate your telling me this” is all that’s needed to make them feel they were heard.
13. Be the boss. All these steps may not prevent from you having to assert your ultimate authority at some point. No matter how well your staff is trained or how good your leadership skills become, there will be times when you will have to remind someone that you are the final word on all matters. Being a good boss and empowering your people to make daily decisions does not mean you’ve abdicated your authority. If you find that someone on your staff is overstepping or has made a mistake, be decisive and firm, act swiftly and don’t waffle. This may result in some deflation of that employee, but assuming you allow it to be done with once you’ve corrected the situation, it should pass quickly.

Tips

• Have a little tolerance in your heart. Your staff works how ever many hours for you and then lives the remainder in his or her personal life, which may leave a big impact, bleeding into work hours. Your employee may be cranky or have an off, low-producing day due to any number of personal reasons. (Still, remember it is their responsibility to deal with their personal lives on their time. You must remind them of this if they continually have the problem, but if it’s a rare occurrence, do allow for the human limitation.)
• Understand that things beyond your staff’s control are bound to come up from time to time. As long as it’s not habitual, it’s in your best interest to treat your people like PEOPLE, not objects or numbers or cogs in your grand wheel. Give them the freedom to handle their personal issues, even if they come up on your time – as long as it isn’t continual or egregious.
• If you are on a tight budget, becoming a good boss can save you a ton of money. Many studies show how a staff that feels you care for them and value them will be far less motivated by money, and far more motivated by their sense of empowerment, value to you and the company, and the feeling that they have significant responsibilities.
• Have fun with your staff. Joking with them and allowing them to see you as a human being binds them to you with feelings of friendship. Letting them address you as “My Queen” or “Captain” may amuse them. It’s okay, then, should your staff start doing something like this, to address them occasionally as “My Prince,” or “Lieutenant Commander!” etc. This is charming to them and lets them know they are not simple minions, but essential members of your crew or “royal court.” While it’s important to maintain the reality of your position as their leader, it’s also important that you be accessible. (And it’s quite telling as to how they feel about you – being addressed with a bow and “My Queen,” even privately or in a light-hearted way says this person respects and admires you, and is willing to defer to you).
• The owner or manager of a small company may be able to afford only a very meager year-end bonus. Instead of giving your team a teeny bonus of less than $50 each person, consider throwing a party for them – host it at your own home if you can. Your staff will be very touched that you have (A) invited them to your home, (B) spent money to cater for them, (C) provided a warm, fun event for them to share each other’s company, and yours. Remember that $50 is a tank of gas that will be forgotten in a few days, but that party will give them a memory they may carry with them all their lives. A few themed party favors cost little but create loads of fun and good feelings.
• Being a good boss really is a lot like being a king or queen. You have to rely on your people for so much, it’s important that they feel loyal to you, and do things the way you want them done. Telling them to remember that wherever they go, even on their own time, they stand for you and your company, and to remember who they are in that light – it’s actually a good thing. It makes them feel invested in the company in a very deep way, and those who are your very best will always go far above and beyond the call of duty to serve you to the best of their abilities.
• Recognize that you need to learn to be a boss. Many of us are promoted to be a boss because we did a good job as employees. But the job of a boss is very different – and sometimes counter-intuitive. Without some level of effort, you may not grow into a good boss. Instead, you may continue to be just a good employee to your new boss.
• A good way to remember the importance of treating your employees well is to remind yourself to think of them as you do your good customers. Your good customers often get the benefit of the doubt in a dispute. You will sometimes offer special perks as a way to say thanks and/or build loyalty. No matter what kind of personal mood you may be in on a given day you always put on a good positive face for your good customers. And, of course, you always treat those customers with great respect. These are the kinds of things you should also be doing for your good employees since, at the end of the day, they are every bit as important – if not more so in some cases – as those good customers you so treat them well! Their morale will be higher, and therefore business will be better, the more valued by you they feel.
• Being nice takes the same amount of time (or less)as being a curt, rude, jerk. And it gets you treated better in return.

How to Be a Good Manager

In every large organization, there’s a hierarchy of management that keeps the whole operation running smoothly. Whether you’re a senior (upper level) manager, middle manager, or supervisor, you’re responsible for directing people so that the organization’s goals are accomplished. A good manager can motivate people, learn from previous mistakes, and gain respect from a team. This article focuses on managers in a large organization rather than in a small business (see How to Be a Good Boss) or working on specific projects (see How to Be an Effective Project Manager).

Steps

1. Motivate people. Why are the employees there? What keeps them with your organization and stops them from going somewhere else? What makes the good days good? What makes them stick with the organization after a bad day or a bad week? Don’t assume it’s money–most people aren’t that one-dimensional. Ask the employees how they’re liking their job on a regular basis. Encourage them to be honest with you. Be a good listener. Then take action based upon what they tell you. If health is important to them, give them time to go to the gym and work out. If their family is important, respect the time they may need to send their kids off to school in the morning or pick them up in the afternoon. Remember, our values are what makes us “tick”. If you manage by respecting your team’s values, they will give you 110% of their effort.
2. Delegate. You’re a manager because you’re good at what you do, but that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to do it ALL. Your job as a manager is to teach other people how to do a good job. If you’re uncomfortable with delegating, however, this can be a huge leap of faith for you. One way to overcome this is to start small. Give people tasks that, if performed incorrectly, can be fixed. Take the opportunity to teach and empower your employees. Then gradually give them tasks with greater responsibility as you come to understand their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to anticipate any problems they might have so you can coach them properly before they begin.
3. Keep the door open. Always remind people that if they have any questions or concerns, you’re ready and willing to listen. Don’t be one of those managers who inadvertently makes an employee feel like they’re “bothering” you when they bring up a question or concern. Instead of seeing it as another crisis to manage, look at it as an opportunity to show your employee how much you want this organization to be a fulfilling place to work. Never minimize or dismiss their concerns, and always make sure that you’ve answered their questions completely.
4. Let people make mistakes. As a manager, you take responsibility for other people’s actions, so the last thing you want to do is be responsible for someone else’s mistakes. In an attempt to be proactive and prevent mistakes, you might give careful instructions and create clear, strict standards. But are you making people afraid of mistakes? Do they always check with you about every little thing, reluctant to make their own decisions because they might not do it correctly? That ends up making the employees more dependent on you, which makes them less effective and unnecessarily drains a significant portion of your time. In order for people to think for themselves, they need to learn, and in order to learn, sometimes we need to make mistakes. Trust them, and give them a fair margin of error.
5. Learn from your own mistakes. When things don’t turn out the way you expected, recognize what you could’ve done differently and verbalize this realization to your employees. This shows them that you make mistakes, too, and it also shows them how they should handle their own mistakes. Whenever you’re doing something correctly after having done it incorrectly in the past, let whoever is watching know. E.g. “The reason I know to press this button is because this happened to me when I first started out, and I made the mistake of pressing the blue button, thinking ‘This will shut down the system, which should resolve the issue’ and I found out–the hard way–that it makes the issue even worse!”
6. Treat everyone equally. Most of us aren’t as egalitarian as we’d like to be. Many times, favoritism happens on a subconscious level. The tendency is to give more positive recognition to the people who remind us of ourselves somehow and who actually like us, rather than to the people who make the biggest contributions to the organization.^[1] In the long run, it’s people in the latter group who will make the most progress in achieving the organization’s goals, so monitor your own behavior carefully and make sure you’re not accidentally short-changing them, even if they give you the impression that your positive regard doesn’t affect them. Some people shy away from positive feedback but appreciate it nonetheless.