Vaccinate or Not Vaccinate

I know you think this is going to be about the COVID-19 Vaccine but in reality it is not - it is about something entirely different. It is about choice. 

As a leader, you get to decide if you work for yourself or if you work for an organization or entity. 

You also get to decide if you follow everything you are told or if you have an opinion and are able to effectively communicate that information to the powers that be. 

For example, I once knew a young leader who had put herself back through school nights and weekends earning both her undergraduate degree and graduate degree. The skills she learned in college helped her be able to communicate and feel more confident in herself as she now had the expertise to back up her intuition. 

She worked for a Fortune 100 Company. In every company she worked in, she started as an entry level worker and moved quickly into management, and almost always into top leadership where she was the person making the decisions. 

Her company was nationwide and every market was different. She lived in a rural community where no one wore suits and ties anymore. Everyone was casual. CEOs were even casual. HR Managers were casual and hiring managers were casual. When her sales team would go out, they stood out as they were the only people in the community that dressed business vs business casual. 

This manager over the years, got more and more casual in her dress code. To the point that the company was not happy about it. She never looked sloppy but they were taking notice. 

On the opposite side of business, when this manager took over her current position, the budget was lacking to say the least. This division had the least amount of sales, highest turnover and little client retention. Though casual, today, this manager is the #1 division  in her 15-state region, she has the highest gross margin, her staff is stable and clients call asking for business.

How did this happen? She met the clients needs instead of following a corporate mandate. She went to senior management explaining she knew the rules for dress code but she also knew her client and her team. In order to create a culture people from this area wanted to work in, adjustments had to be made. She didn’t write up her team for lack of suits and heels, she told them she would stand up for them if they got the business and met all the benchmarks. 

Today the company doesn’t ask this manager or her team to wear suits, unless they are attending a corporate event and the entire company has begun to look at the choices the management in the field is making to fit their environments. If goals are being met, they decided to learn from the field management instead of disabling them to choose what was best for their divisions. 

So whether dress code or vaccines, as a leader - you must be able to decide what is best and courteously and respectfully communicate your position with others of an opposing view. 

Best, 

Manal