According to Vince Lombardi âleaders aren’t born, they are madeâ, which makes it crucial for potential leaders to analyze and explore their experiences which will enable them to develop leadership skills and augment their focus towards customer satisfaction in their careers. On my several visits to restaurants I observed managers and witnessed their communication with clients and customers. I noticed that managers are extremely polite and sensitive to the needs of customers and make every effort to listen to them carefully so that each and every need of theirs is appropriately met. In this paper, I aim to analyze my personal experiences with the restaurant, with the purpose of developing my leadership qualities so that I will be able to lead effectively and improve my communication skills for enhanced customer focus.
Leadership has been described as a process that entails interactions between managers and members of the team, so that managers function as leaders and influence their teams to obtain the aims and goals of the organization which they serve (Kramer, 2008). However, Communication is of crucial importance in leadership and the two have been âlinkedâ together (Flauto, 1999). Since interactions and communication are an important and indispensable aspect of effective leadership, it is essential for leaders to comprehend their communication styles which impact their ability to collaborate so that they can sculpt their communication style to enable them to succeed in organizations (Wieand, Birchfield and Johnson, 2008).
During the visits to restaurants, I noticed that managers have a distinct style of communication which makes them sincere and active listeners, and completely committed to their clients. Additionally, restaurant managers also have to appropriately communicate the needs of their customers to the kitchen staff, so that the best possible services are rendered to clients. I have noticed that handling people effectively is an important leadership trait for managers to succeed in the hospitality industry. Research also confirms the necessity of six important skills or competencies to effectively handle people (Sanborn, 1996). These skills have been identified as the basic communication skills of listening carefully and accurately, and organizing appropriately. Managers need to listen to the needs of their customers and ensure that the best services are offered to them, so that clients are completely satisfied.
Moreover, providing lucid information regarding tasks and activities and the ability to obtain âunbiasedâ data and knowledge is also a vital skill among managers who aspire to be efficient leaders in restaurants. Thus, managers of restaurants have to communicate to the chefs and other restaurant staff any shortcomings which the customers may have notified them about. By doing so, managers can take appropriate steps to change any undesirable aspects of the restaurant which could impede customer satisfaction. Additionally, managers are also required to possess the ability to supervise optimally by training and mentoring people. Managers who are effective leaders are also required to ensure discipline among the people they lead and counsel them when there appear to be any shortcomings in them (Sanborn, 1996). In keeping with this, I have observed restaurant managers providing valuable feedback from the clients to the appropriate staff members so that good feedback serves as a measure of motivation while negative feedback is used to remove any shortfalls or negativity from the system.
All in all, the experiences of witnessing managers functioning as efficient leaders served as an important learning experience, which provided me with practical leadership knowledge. By personally visiting restaurants and watching the leadership and communication styles of different managers, I will be able to address my personal style of communication and remove any limitations, thereby developing the ability to enhance my leadership skills and techniques to produce productive outcomes within the organization (Wieand, Birchfield and Johnson, 2008).
References
Flauto, Frank J. (1999). Walking the Talk: The Relationship Between Leadership and Communication Competence. Journal of Leadership Studies: 86.
Lombardi Vince (2003). What It Takes To Be Number #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.
Sanborn, Mark (1996). Are you a leader or a manager? American Agent & Broker 68(12): 43-47.
Wieand P., Birchfield J., and Johnson M., (2008). The new leadership challenge: removing the emotional barriers to sustainable performance in a flat world. (Feature Article)(Reprint). Ivey Business Journal Online.