I was asked by an employee if I could give an example of good leadership. I thought for a moment and then recalled a time when we had to move a piece of equipment from one area down a corridor to another area within the club. I had assessed the situation and made a mental plan of what we needed to do. I asked the employee to loosen the bolts that held a part of the equipment that we needed to remove before moving.
After about 30 minutes the employee came to me and said that the bolts were too tight and that they would never be removed. I took a look while the employee put a spanner onto the bolts and tried to release them with all his strength. “You will never get them off,” he said.
I went away and came back with a socket set and then easily loosened the bolts. I dismantled the equipment and we lifted it onto a trolley and rolled it to the doorway.
The employee immediately said, “We will never get it through the doorway.” We pushed and maneuvered the equipment, but we got stuck in the doorway. The employee reminded me that we would never get it out, but I was confident that we could make it.
We took a moment and changed positions and then I repositioned the trolley, which allowed us to ease the equipment into a better position so that it just fit through the door.
We eventually relocated the piece of equipment to the new area. This made me think that if I had listened to the employee, then we probably wouldn’t have started the task. It was leadership that made it happen and also perseverance in following your plan. Leadership involves having a positive attitude, the right tools for the job and a well-thought-out plan.
Paul Conway is the owner of Crown Fitness Club. For more information he can be reached at crownfitnessclub@aim.com.
