Lend a hand
Just because you’re the boss, that doesn’t mean you should be above helping out your employees who are trying to make things happen in your business.
“Right now, one of our key executives, Chris Cummings, is knee-deep in implementing an ERP application for our latest acquisition,” Alfonso says. “I know Chris is working long days and nights and weekends, and he is really putting forth an amazing effort to get this done. When I talk to him, I will periodically say, ‘Hey, do you have anything on your plate you want me to get done for you?’ And he’s given me a couple things and I’ve done it for him.
“It’s being able to recognize when your resources are really going above and beyond the call of duty to get something done or get a project done that is really tying up their time. It’s recognizing that they are in that situation and offering some help and then it’s being able to do it.”
The key is when you extend the offer to help, you can’t just do it in a subtle way that you hope won’t generate any responses.
“If they give you something, get it done,” Alfonso says. “It doesn’t matter what the task is. There should be nothing that is beneath you.”
If you want to convey an attitude that you’re part of the team, you need to act like it and not seek out special treatment. You’ll reinforce the idea that it’s not just you and your responsibilities that make the company go.
“I do a lot of things on my own,” Alfonso says. “I don’t rely on an administrative assistant to make phone calls for me. My fingers aren’t broken. I can pick up the phone and dial it. There’s a certain level of approach from that perspect
ive. … It’s not uncommon for someone to walk into my office and say, ‘Hey, I can’t get to this. Can you help me get this done?’ Absolutely, give it to me. I’ll get it done. It’s all about bringing value and if you truly embrace that, it doesn’t matter who you are or what your title is or what it is you may do for the organization. If something needs to get done, anyone should be able to do it, including myself.”
If you want to bring value to your position, you need to be in tune with what’s happening and engaged with your employees. You need to be asking questions and assessing your strategies and checking for efficiencies on a daily basis.
“You really can’t answer those questions if you’re trusting those around you to answer them for you,” Alfonso says. “You have to know for yourself. You have to be the most prepared. You have to be the most diligent, and you have to work harder than anyone around you.”
