I’ve wrestled with the idea of creating a management/leadership blog for a while now. I actually created this WordPress site years ago; July 2017 to be exact. I’ve read other management and leadership blogs in the past but I had many reservations about starting my own. Mainly, because I find it difficult to consistently keep up with blogging as a writing medium. But also, because I was never really sure that I’ve had enough management or leadership experience to share in a seminal blog post. Many of my friends work in management positions as well. I have friends that work for large corporations, some manage chain-franchises for places like Meijer or Pizza Hut, some work on construction sites and manage various contractors and workers, some work for non-profit and community organizations. It is my hope to also include their stories in future blog posts. I am currently General Manager of a small restaurant/diner in my hometown. I’ve worked here for six years now and I’ve been a manager for four of those years. Last January, I became the General Manager after my predecessor, who had held that title for ten years before me, decided that he no longer wanted to work in the restaurant industry. After a year of trying to successfully lead a crew of approx 30 people while also learning more about the industry and business side of what it takes to run a restaurant, I think that I am finally able to share my story and lessons on leadership.
I’ve worked in numerous fast food places and a few bar and grills. I’ve also held positions of leadership in multiple executive boards for student organizations and non-profits. In 2017, I founded my own company, a record label that I run and manage with the help of several friends. It’s safe to say that I have had an interest in leadership ever since I was in high school. But now, as I enter my seventh year working at the restaurant, I’ve found that I’ve only just recently learned that leadership isn’t some generic skill that can be acquired and mastered. Leadership is more akin to parenting. You can be good, even great at it. But no amount of advice, training or reference books are going to make you a master parent. Leadership is the same thing. And good leaders, like good parents, know that the objective is not mastery, but autonomy. In the same way that a parent raises a child to become self-governed and independent; great leaders hope to inspire their team to do the same. Upon this discovery, I’ve endeavored to become a Student of Leadership.
I’ve also sought to make my management team and crew members students of leadership. In an open letter to my staff I noted that: “I want everyone to have an understanding that this is our cause moving forward. Creating leaders out of each other. Making ourselves students of leadership, taking what we’ve learned in our time here and using those skills to become and create leaders elsewhere. I want everyone to leave here having found purpose—not in the job, the restaurant, the goats, or the guests, but purpose in helping each other become more successful.”
I learned this concept of leadership from an audio-book I recently finished by Simon Sinek. Sinek is an author who’ve I read and referenced in the past during my time as a manager. His second book, “Leaders Eat Last” was incredibly inspirational for me when I first became a manager, and I still follow his advice to this day.
In “The Infinite Game,” Sinek describes concepts James Carse once wrote in a book in 1986 called “Finite and Infinite Games.” Finite games have known players, fixed rules, and an agreed-upon objective. Infinite games have known and unknown players, the rules are changeable, and the objective is not to win—the objective is to keep playing, keep perpetuating the game. He argues that business is an infinite game. There is no such thing as “winning” business—it doesn’t exist. We can have wins inside a business, but there’s no such thing as “winning” business. Of course, the finite game still matters—making our end-of-the-year goals are important. But it’s not the end all, be all; we don’t have to beat ourselves up or fire people if they don’t hit a sales number or customer count. When we play with a finite mindset in the infinite game, over the course of time, we will see a decline in trust, cooperation, and innovation.
This blog will be a reflection of my infinite quest to become a Student of Leadership and of the lessons and skills I learn along the way. Thank you for your time and interest in my ramblings and feel free to share this with anyone that could benefit from my musings in mid-level management.
Sincerely, MGMT