Who is the most important person in an organization?

Sam Walton is one of my heroes. He founded the retail giant Walmart. Sam was a great leader because he understood that no one in any organization was less important than anyone else.

Walton was the founder and CEO of the company, yet he truthfully did not believe he was more important than the store manager or the stock clerk or the cashier or the person that swept the floor.

Without a strong buyer locating great products at an outstanding price why would a customer enter Walmart’s doors? Where would the store be if the person sweeping the floor did not do a great job? It is not this person’s efforts that make the store inviting to the customer? And without the stock clerk diligently and accurately stocking the shelves how would the customer find what the buyer had ordered? And if the cashier did not properly great the customer and accurately tally the purchase with a smile would the customer feel welcomed and the efforts of the buyer and stock clerk – and Walton himself – be successful?

Walton’s accurate point is that each person must see their contribution to their employer as a value added component of their company’s success. This is an absolute. It is true because we must recognize our own contributions and feel good about them.

About the author:

Rick Weaver has half a century’s experience in leadership development in retailing. He founded Max Impact Corporation, a leadership and business development consultancy company in 2002. His major accomplishments include working himself from stock clerk to director at a Fortune 50 retail chain and building a $40MM+ construction company in under 5 years. Today he works as an Executive Search Consultant with Patrice & Associates matching management talent with the job culture for which they are uniquely wired.

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