How to Be a Regional Manager Everyone Wants to Work with. Without relying on just being nice.

Sometimes what you really want is the opposite of what you think you want.

My first boss was a jerk. We all felt it. And yet he was our jerk.

People stuck with the company for years because he used his general jerkiness to make our lives pretty simple. His demeanour meant nobody messed with the department. Because nobody wanted to take on the jerk. He was a deterrent. Idiot repellent.

And he was smart enough to stay out of our way and leave us to get on with stuff.

Does this mean we should all be jerks? Maybe. But it’s not the fact he was a jerk that made him a great boss. It was what he did despite that.

After over a decade in leadership since then, I’ve seen a lot of ways different bosses stay popular and keep their staff. Here are the pick of the bunch.

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞
Low courage leaders undermine themselves and their mission.

But you demonstrate what you value by what you fight for.

Whether pushing back against superiors, giving people the benefit of the doubt when they screw up, or making a tough decision to solve a problem, make sure to stand up when you need to.

And it doesn’t take much. When you’re afraid, act anyway. That’s bravery. Because there is no courage without a little fear.

Soon you’ll see that a lot of what you’re scared of isn’t so scary after all.

“Courage is not the lack of fear, it is the acting in spite of it.” — Mark Twain

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Leaders set the tone. They outline goals and deliver results. They build trust and develop staff. And they adapt to change.

None of this is possible without action.

I used to work for a dreamer. He was always talking about his big plans for the future. But by never getting anything done, the company developed a culture of inaction. Words became cheap.

Acta, non verba — deeds not words

Doing the right thing or the wrong thing both move the needle. And you can still learn from doing something wrong.

But you learn nothing from doing nothing.

Don’t worry if you’re messing up. As long as you’re doing something and learning from it, you’re on the way to getting things done.

𝙐𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙊𝙛 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚
A lot of leaders think the team exists for them. To make their life easier. To make their dreams come true.

The reality is a leader needs to serve their staff. As it’s through the team that work gets done, it’s a leader’s incentive to supply everything a team could need to be a success.

You’ll build stronger connections. Instill a positive atmosphere. And form tighter teams.

At the heart of service leadership is encouragement. It’s you saying ‘I value your success, I think you’re capable of a lot, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you do that’.

Set this standard and watch your team flourish.

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮. 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙊𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣

Don’t forget the power of your words. Your presence carries power.

A lack of both leaves space for your staff’s insecurities and projections to seep in. Nip this in the bud by being available, and choosing your words carefully. Especially when times are tough.

“Individuals tend to think the worst in difficult situations. Lack of communication can lead employees to assume their jobs are at risk. In addition to low morale and lack of motivation, neglecting to communicate with employees could push them to search for new employers.” — Gregory P. Jacobson, quoted here

𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙖𝙣 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙
You’ve got to break out of your natural thought loops. Open your ears and learn from others. Because you’re never going to catch up and know everything you don’t know.

Value learning, and inspire others to constantly develop themselves too.

Because learning means development. Development means growth. And growth means being able to rise to future challenges.

An open mind increases the surface area of your luck. Because you’re more open to finding solutions, or you’ve made it easier for them to find you.