How to Be a Boss

Tips for new leaders & how to find your footing.

When I was first promoted to a Store Manager position I was about 27 years old but I looked younger than I was. I’m a 5’4” white girl with an innocent-looking round face and wavy blonde hair. Outsiders underestimated me on a regular basis. Even my Regional Manager was unsure, Well, she’s really nice but I don’t know if she has what it takes, he told my District Manager after I had just been promoted. Yeah, okay. Underestimate me. That will be fun, I thought.

I never doubted my capabilities but I was unsure how to truly be perceived as a leader. As it turns out it’s easier than you think.

And as for the people that come by and ask, Is your manager here? Can you see that he gets this? Nod and smile. Considering that he is me, yes, it has fallen into the right hands. Then you can enjoy the look of confusion/embarrassment wash across their face as you turn slowly and get back to being a kick-ass leader.

Your title means something but it is far from everything. It is important to have titles so that the team understands the chain of command. They need to know who to go to with questions or concerns but beyond that, it’s kind of meaningless. Your title should not separate you from your team in the daily operations.

It is important that they see you doing the work alongside them. I cannot stress this enough. I take Monday as my office day and other than that I try to be on the sales floor as much as possible. Helping customers, running to shoe rooms, climbing ladders, helping the visual team with shipment. It’s all really important. No one wants to work for someone that only delegates. They need to see you in it and you need to get your hands dirty on a regular basis. This is how you gain respect and trust.

Being relatable and friendly is key but know that you are most definitely not their friend and that’s a good thing. I certainly don’t want to manage my friends on a daily basis. I want a clear separation between my professional and personal life. My rule for social media is as follows: We can connect on social media when we no longer work together. I am interested in the lives of the people I lead but I don’t want to know everything. I don’t want to know what party you were at last night or who you were with. I don’t want to know your political views. Beware of leaders that want access to too much of your personal life. It’s not productive at best and they can weaponize it against you in the worst case scenario.

Know when to be transparent and when to be keep things confidential. If information is about the business, the reasons behind the decisions, perhaps, then it can probably be shared with everyone. If information is personal about a member of them team then keep it to yourself or only within the leadership team if they can be trusted not to share it.

Everyone does not need to know everything. If I have sensitive information I’m dealing with about a team member I just use a generic, They’re out sick today or He has a family issue to attend to today. That’s it. People don’t really ask beyond that response because they kind of get that they don’t need to know. When they see this trait in you they will more likely trust you with their sensitive information as well.

Treat those outside your store that you do business with well. Who I am talking about: Shipment drivers, FedEx drivers, armored guard employees, mall management, etc. If there are people that you interact with on a daily or weekly basis that work for outside companies you should know their names. These people are your partners too. Be the store that they look forward to going to along their routes.

You won’t have all the answers and that’s okay. Partner with your team to teach you things and learn their best practices. Leading people is a partnership. Be open to their ideas. If their ideas are good, use them and give them the credit. You have not thought of everything, I can guarantee it, but if you let your team in on that secret then you’re one step closer to being a great leader!

Good luck out there.

*The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my employer or clients.