Leadership Email to a Former,

Leadership

Email to a former, emotionally intelligent manager

Despite the fact that we met when I was a teenager, when you were a manager of the fast food establishment I worked at, you will always remain my paradigm for great leadership within an organization. Your self-awareness was extraordinary. You always bubbled with confidence and never doubted your ablity to push employees to the next level of customer service -- yet you were always quick to laugh at your fondness for French Fries, and admitted that even you had trouble telling the difference between the unfrozen chicken and fish patties!

Things could get rocky when the lunch and dinner crush rolled in. However, no matter how many unexpected orders came in (like a busload of ravenous soccer players from a nearby tournament) you never lost your cool -- there was more sweat on the shake maker than on your brow! I know how motivated you were to meet and exceed the goals of the corporate headquarters for our establishment. But when we failed to sell as many Happy Meals one Christmas season during a special country-wise promotion despite your unflagging good cheer, you never blamed anyone, and you simply resolved to try harder next time.

Even today, I am inspired by your empathy for coworkers going through tough situations. Without children yourself, you still showed empathy for the single mothers juggling two part-time jobs -- and for my own adolescent romantic angst and worries about acne. And the customers, well, the customers -- no special request was too much to honor.

Employee retention is of special difficulty in retail, and today I am inspired by your example of emotional intelligence to apply the same principles to my own work and my leadership duties. I remember your 'fastest burger-making' and 'floor mopping' competitions as a way to generate increased productivity with a sense of fun, and a way of making every employee feel special, rewarded, and connected to the organization.