This is the ninth in a 10-part series. See my previous posts for the first 8 lessons. Lessons on Leadership, Learned at the Dairy Queen. Part 9. My Dairy Queen in the 1980s attracted a motley crew of workers. There were people like me, high school kids working nights and weekends to make some spending money and to save for school. There were a few young adults that were trying to figure out their way, like Jeff, an F-bomb dropping drop-out with a wicked sense of humour. There were also older folks - grandmotherly Helen; chain-smoking Gloria; and Vern, the kindly man that mopped the floors at the end of the night. We were a diverse bunch, back then before we knew Diversity was a thing. And Mr. R. met each of us where we were at. He wouldn't have put it into words, but what I saw in the way he managed was that in order to get the most out of folks, you needed to treat them differently. For me, he created a sense of ownership. Despite only making $4.00 an hour (plus dips!) he empowered me to make my own decisions for the betterment of the store. “Madam,” he might tell me. “Make your best customers a deal. If they ask for 6 Dilly Bars, tell them you’ll throw in 3 free if they buy 12.” Likewise he’d encourage me to give the guys playing video games a plate of fries if they looked hungry, or keep the store open a little late on those humid July nights when the customers kept coming. Mr. R. knew – before I did – that I thrived on empowerment, on being trusted to make good decisions, on being able to learn from my mistakes and exercise my own judgement. He understood that by giving me a key to the store when I was sixteen; in return, he received a key to unlocking my potential. Not everyone was like me. Helen worked better if she was given clear lines, and wasn’t asked to colour outside of them. Brian needed the opportunity to be heard. Gavin thrived on the flexibility he was given to decline shifts if his friends were doing something more interesting that night. And somehow, it worked. Shifts were always covered, the business was profitable, and we had fun doing it. We were all highly engaged, back then, before we knew Employee Engagement was a thing, Leadership Lessons from the DQ #9. Fairness isn’t sameness. To get the most out of people, treat them as the unique individuals they are. #LeadershipLessons #CHRO #SummerJobs
Priscilla Fraser
5mo
I look forward to this series and absolutely love it. Well done Laura Blythe!
Sandy Trojansek
5mo
This series has been wonderful to read through! At a time when there is so much heaviness and negativity in the world, this makes me smile. Thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
Werner K.
5mo
The fries were always helpful as we were always hungry lol.
Professional Portrait Photographer at Welcome Aboard Photography Studio
5moAmen and Amen so now Laura... we need to see a photo of you in your polyester DQ uniform on the next chapter of your Incredible Scrumpdilyicious Summer Job! Thanks for the inspiration!