Enable Leaders: What would you do?

Imagine this...

You've been running a company for a number of years, doing hundreds of millions per year in revenue.

Your day is filled with hours of meeting, discussing strategy, and making high level decisions that move things forward for many people.

Yet, one thing we often forget, especially when we work in larger corporations is just how those working the front lines are impacted by decisions we make.

Why the front line matters

If you're anything like me, you remember your first job(s). While I worked various jobs from merchandising in grocery stores, to making subs at Subway (and no, I didn't get the title of Sandwich Artist), among many others.

I remember working at an organization that skirted minimum wage laws by paying a "training wage": I still remember how that made me feel when I look at the Golden Arches: hopefully they've improved since then.

Over 10% of workers in Canada, and over 1.1 million workers in the US work at or below the minimum wage. Protests for many of these workers for improved wages is not new, sadly.

While for some businesses, it is "necessary" to pay minimum wages to operate profitably, there are examples of businesses in the restaurant business, a bicycle shop and others where paying a living wage is making great business sense: less turnover, more economic opportunity for workers and a greater quality of life.

Front line workers arguably ARE customer experience. According to Bain & Company, companies that are dedicated to improving their customers’ experience can increase their revenue to 4 – 8% above their market, so are we under-investing in people, cutting off our nose to spite our face?

But, what would you do if you were in survival mode? What if you're an employee just getting by in this world?

Or, as the CEO, what if your decisions for profitability were negatively impacting your potential top line revenue, while pushing down your own employees? I quite enjoy Mark Crowley, who talks about #LeadFromTheHeart: it seems as though those that prioritize only profit are not leading from the heart, and forgetting what it is to be human and humane.

What do you mean you're homeless?

So, imagine that, for whatever reason, you've found out that your employee is homeless. What would you do in that situation?

Understanding that YOU have the agency and power to create change: how would that impact you?

That exact scenario is what was played out on Undercover Boss with Mitchell Modell, CEO of Modell's sports. Sadly, Modell's has joined other retailers that have struggled with large stores, inventory and an increasingly changing world where e-commerce and eat your lunch, and went bankrupt in 2020.

Mitchell, to his credit, tapped into a very different kind of decision making when forced to confront some harsh truths. Warning: you may want to have tissues on hand.

How you can use this

It's important to consider when you make decisions the full ramifications: who, what, when, where, why and how?

If you apply a simple metric like this, you'll be thinking more rigerously:

• Who will be impacted?

• What will happen to them?

• When will it occur?

• Where will it take place (if a physical place)?

• Why is this the right decision?

• How will it impact them?

Had Modell's considered this type of metric within the current reality, it might not have taken so long to ensure that the Angels of the world were paid such that they wouldn't be homeless.

Tools to Help You

If you want to go deeper on this idea of considering stakeholders (and stakeholder analysis), this resource from the Project Management Insitute will help you do just that.

We also have our wait list open for Advancing You: Understanding Yourself and Others to be More Successful. Whether you're a VC, Founder, team manager or someone looking to be more strategic to approach and influence others, get on the wait list now for training deliveries in 2023 of this course (dates coming soon: we'll contact you immediately with first priority if you're on the wait list!).

Sign up for the wait list now!

Go be a great leader today! See you next time.

Jonathan [email protected] CEOEnable Leaderswww.enableleaders.com