Whenever I work with leaders of organizations, I notice that the most successful leaders are great at utilizing their team to grow their brand. In my business, hospitality and the restaurant business, I ensure that every one of my team members knows everything they need to know that one of my guests might ask them. The importance of this is that every one of my guests or customers meets my team members typically a lot more often than they meet me.
The reality is my brand is 100% represented by the people that work with me. Any guest that sits in any of my restaurants meets my team members, and they therefore are a representative of my brand. If a guest asks what the hours of operations are, who designed the restaurant, asks about certain menu or food or beverage items, it’s incumbent upon me to make sure that my team knows every answer because they are representing my brand.
If you are in a leadership role, always remember that managers are not rewarded for what they do, they are rewarded for what their people do. How well is your team representing your brand?