Want to Grow in Your Career? It Starts With Believing in Yourself
From the Effective Retail Leader archive
The Assistant Manager sat in the waiting room. He had been invited to interview with the two local district managers for the open Store Manager position. He had worked for the Company for slightly over 3 years, been in four stores, and had already been promoted once.
His first assignment in the Assistant Manager role had been to completely remodel an unfamiliar store. It was something he had never done before, but he believed then he could do it. And he did. The remodel went smoothly and the small team of 5 completed the project on time and without needing any outside assistance. This would be an excellent example to use during the interview the Assistant Manager thought as he continued to wait. He could speak to building relationships quickly with the two key people he had on his overnight team. He had built trust by jumping in with them, working side by side, and asking for their input throughout. At least one of these associates had actually thought they should have been considered for the position he had just been promoted into. It was awkward at first, but involving them right away made a big difference. As the project progressed, one of the temp associates that was hired was not pulling his weight. After conversations and some patience, the Assistant Manager knew he had to cut him loose. He did. This also strengthened the relationship with the two other core associates. There was too much work to be done for one of the team members not to pull their weight.
As he waited his turn, he heard the words of his current Store Manager run through his head: "You know that you will not get this promotion. They want to hear you, but one of the other candidates has more long-term experience. This will be a good learning experience for you. Your time will come soon. You have done an excellent job here in this store and I certainly appreciate all that you do. I do not want you to be disappointed if this doesn't work out the way you want it to." He had pondered this discussion for the last several days since it occurred. He knew that he was as good as the other candidates. His previous experience, while in a different business, had allowed him to run a store before and he knew he could do it again. He believed that he could make a difference with his own store. He would build a team that worked well together, serving the customers better than any store in the district. He believed, no, he knew he could do this.
Belief
The one thing every leader must have is a belief in themselves. If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will either. Belief doesn't mean you have to know everything. You do need to believe that you can figure it out with your team and the resources you have available to you. Your belief has to be a driving factor for you each day. This is your 'WHY,’ your purpose for how you lead. It is a delicate balancing act between feeling confident in yourself and being arrogant. That is a line that many people cross. They end up hurting themselves because their belief makes them appear unapproachable. Understanding that as a leader your role is to serve others is the best way to eliminate the possibility of turning people off around you. Over time and in different situations your beliefs will change and evolve. But the underlying framework should remain focused on others first. That will ensure that you are a leader people want to follow.
The interview seemed to go very well. The Assistant Manager felt good after his hour conversation. There were even some points where the two District Managers seemed surprised at how he conveyed his thoughts and responses. He knew that being team and people focused would set him apart. He could speak to getting results as well as anyone else but knew that showing he could do it through his team would make a difference. And it did. Two days later he received an offer to be the newest Store Manager in the district.
Believing in yourself is the starting point for your own self-development journey. Knowing that you are worth investing more time in, starts with you. In fact, 11 years after this event, he was interviewing for another position many people didn't believe he would fit into - the Vice President of Store Operations.I believed I could do it.Has there been a time that belief in yourself pushed you forward?Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.