Sometimes I am amazed at the blatant difference between a true leader and someone who just carries the title. I believe that nowhere is there a more apparent distinction than in the retail industry. Let me make it clear that I do not believe that effective leadership must unequivocally come from postsecondary education, although it undoubtedly helps. Learning about servant leadership and organizational behavior can certainly assist in molding and refining leaders to be the best they can be. I do believe that leadership itself comes from a set of values and care for the employees and customers you serve, which some people have, and some people don’t.
Case-in-point: I bought my dog a nice, new memory foam bed for Christmas. I did a lot of research and was absolutely sure of which bed I wanted. When I got home with it from (insert local chain store’s name here) and had it sitting out for a day or two, I noticed that there was a strange chemical odor coming from the foam. My dog hadn’t gone near it, and I had not removed the tags. I was disturbed by the odor and brought it back to the store for return.
I had thrown the receipt away, and told the cashier that an exchange or store credit would be fine with me. A scowling manager surfaced and interjected saying that, although the product was their merchandise and had their tag on it, there was no way I could have bought it there. He said he was not “comfortable” returning it because he did not know “what he was going to do with the thing.” He made several loud sighs and walked into his office and back out twice, stating that he needed to find my transaction on the computer to prove that I actually purchased the item.
This man made me feel like a thief and a liar, and it was a very uncomfortable experience. I ended up purchasing an additional bed, leaving with two beds in my arms. Once I got home, I realized that I don’t want this retailer to have an additional sale from me, so I am going to return the second bed (with the receipt!).
An authentic leader would have handled the situation much differently. If the retailer has a no-receipt-no-return policy, that is understandable, but no such policy was mentioned. An authentic leader could have caused me to walk away with the bed in hand and still have had a pleasant experience. This manager was obviously not concerned about the ramifications of his actions (causing me to feel hurt and embarrassed, telling others about my experience, my hesitancy to shop there again, and my post you’re reading now).
Authentic leadership requires so much more than making decisions and delegating tasks. It is an art of balancing company, customer, and employee needs while creating a positive environment for all involved.
