Recently, I was out touring through a few of our restaurants with one of our newer Field Services Supervisors. Operating out of their homes, our Field Services team are our road warriors of IT, frequently driving in excess of 30,000 miles per year to our restaurants, repairing and maintaining point of sale and other IT systems on site.
It’s a tough job. It requires 24/7 availability, a constantly half-packed suitcase and a MacGyver-like mind to complete repairs and equipment swaps in sometimes less than ideal conditions. For our Field Tech supervisors, they manage these road warriors remotely, only getting to see their techs in-person every few months as they visit markets.
Over lunch, the new supervisor asked me what are the five most important things I think that he should know about leading his field techs. Here’s what I told him:
Know your people
A good leader knows their people well. Not only do they know their professional backgrounds and capabilities, but they also know their spouse’s name, the names of their children and what they like to do outside of work. In short, they know the whole person that they’re leading. So many jobs in IT require being on call 24/7, which can take a toll on the entire family over the long-term. Good leaders know that. When doing 1:1s, checking in on their personal life is just as important as checking in on their to-do list.
Not everyone likes to be managed the way that you do
Good leaders adapt their management styles to each of their direct reports. Early in my career, I missed this lesson and thought that everyone should be as dominant and driven as me. That was a mistake and I learned it the hard way through unnecessary turnover. Now might be a good time to brush up on some books or podcasts about personality types. As a leader, don’t expect your employees to adapt to your style. You need to adapt to meet them where they are.
Treat your people fairly and hold them accountable for their work
Good leaders frequently communicate and reinforce standards of excellence with their staff. Standards should be written down. People need to know what good looks like. As a leader, it is your job to communicate that and also verify that standards are being met. When things get off-track, good leaders immediately take note and provide feedback, equally and fairly (remember: never provide individual feedback in a group setting). Good leaders don’t back down from hard conversations.
Know when you need to get help
Many times in my career, I’ve reached out to trusted colleagues for advice and feedback. In situations of employee misconduct, I’ve leveraged our HR department to assist. Good leaders know that they don’t have all of the answers. Not having all of the answers isn’t a sign of ignorance, but a sign of a learning opportunity.
Good leaders stay humble
Herb Thomas, my first boss out of college told me on my first day of work, “I’m not perfect. There are things you’ll see me do as your boss that you will like and things that you’ll see me do that you’ll dislike. For the things that I do that you like, when you find yourself in a similar position, repeat those things. For the things that you dislike, don’t repeat those things.” Well said, Herb! This started me down a road of studying and mentoring on how to become a good leader. Good leaders serve their staff and help out wherever needed. Sometimes, that might just be on a ladder, running cable.
What else would you add to this list?