Of the leadership principals highlighted by Margaret, one immediately stands out. And that’s learn and be curious. It also happens to be an example of something that impacts my life currently. Being in school, challenging myself to think differently and to grow as an artist has surely piqued my curiosity, while at the same time pushing myself to continually learn new and exciting skillsets. I find myself seeking out other resources to compliment what I’m learning in each class. YouTube tutorials, blogs, periodicals. It has helped me to practice the skills I’m accumulating, helping to make them stick more deeply.
Another principal that calls out to me is that of customer obsession. Just last week, while at work, I went above and beyond the call of duty to help satisfy a customers need. In fact, after the transaction was done, the customer told me that were it not for me, they would have gone to another store to purchase their espresso machine. Turns out, the lead in my department was rude to his wife, and they were walking out until I kindly greeted them and sparked up a conversation based off a t-shirt he was wearing. Fifteen minutes later, and poof, they were walking out with a $2700 machine. I loved seeing how happy they were compared with the vibe I was intuiting from them directly following their bad experience with my manager.
Being a freelance photographer in my past life (pre-covid), I’ve often worked under the principal of frugality. Having to accomplish more with less. And while it can be stressful, I’m always pleased with the level of ingenuity that it breeds. Knowing that this is something that will be important to my career going forward makes me feel at ease. It’s helpful to have already worked under these circumstances.
Having not been in a situation where I did the hiring or planned for the professional development of those hires is the one that, at present, feels the hardest to adopt. It feels like something that is at the very least 5 years into my future, which also makes it feel slightly overwhelming to consider doing. But I’m up to the challenge. And know that one day, after I’ve put in my time, I will be ready to deliver on this principal successfully.