I took my kids to Maccas today for lunch. It’s not a place I expect to receive anything that’s good for me but today I did. A valuable leadership lesson.
As I waited in the long queue of people who’d prepaid their meals to be sent to the other end of the counter I looked further ahead than the impatient guy in front of me to see a weary and wary looking employee refusing to make eye contact with customers as he struggled to keep up with handing people their order.
A couple of other employees nearby were working with hushed voices and heads down. They worked quickly and quietly but friendly interaction was not on offer this lunch shift. I really appreciate good customer service and felt disappointed by the lacklustre approach to people today. And then I noticed the problem. More accurately, I heard her.
A young and attractive but very annoyed looking girl was weaving through the staff with great huffing and puffing and flaring of nostrils. “Who do you think you are Matt? I’ve told you five times now, five times!!! Get it together! I’m going to lose my hair in this place. Get this order ready! It’s not good enough. Seriously I can’t believe this. Matt? MATT! I’VE TOLD YOU FIVE TIMES!” and so she went on, revealing either a hormonal imbalance or her secret wicked witch identity with each public shaming. These things weren’t said out the back. They were from the front counter. We saw Matt surface a couple of times. The whole seen was unpretty.
Personally, I too have been guilty at times of being a harsh critic and becoming overly frustrated at what I perceive to be incompetence. This shift manager’s leadership though was a massive wake up call for the effects this has when left unchecked.
Because she went after this guy so emotionally and publicly other staff were awkwardly trying to lay low and stay under her radar, customers were getting frustrated trying to act like they hadn’t noticed anything and Matt’s performance didn’t seem to be improving one bit. Absolutely everyone was worse off because this one girl did not know how to lead without criticism and shaming.
I know your youth ministry is not about fast dispensation of cheeseburgers (though if it is we need to have a serious talk, over a cheeseburger) but there are a few important takeaways from this:
* Don’t correct a team member in front of the youth group, parents or even the rest of the team. Take them aside and speak to them privately. If they are unteachable then what are they doing on your team?
* If you’ve told someone the same thing five times and haven’t seen results you need to look at the instructions! Were they clear? Did you clarify that they were heard and understood?
* If you are having a terrible day, acknowledge it and either pray your way through it or have minimal contact with humans. Don’t allow a moment of crazed frustration undo hours of relationship building.
