As we have spoken about before, looking back as a leader is a powerful skill! We experience countless lessons every week and taking the time to sit down and analyse them is crucial to our growth.

Here are some of my lessons from the past week:

Focus on Service – Not Corner Cutting

In this post-Covid world, many industries are trying to rebuild themselves after being hit hard during the pandemic. One of these industries is the airline industry.

The common problem we see is that airline companies focus on cutting costs and maximizing returns. They do this by reducing staff per passenger and by loading planes as full as they can be. This leaves a sour taste in many traveller's mouths, especially after they’ve spent a fair bit of money on overseas plane tickets.

What we can learn from this is cutting costs cannot be done at the expense of service. As this will lead to more price wars and less brand loyalty.

Connect With People Over Mutual Understanding

When we travel, we interact with many different people. Some of these people may be from different countries and may have completely opposite belief systems to our own. And while we may be different, as leaders and as people we can connect with each other over mutual understanding.

“A sunrise is beautiful in every language”

Don’t Be Afraid of Confrontation

As leaders, we often steer clear of confrontation. Often opting to avoid it or to get someone else to do our dirty work.

While you could lead without confrontation, you will likely miss out on connecting with more people. Why? Confrontation can help you to understand someone at an emotional level. Having difficult conversations can often lead to great breakthroughs and personal growth, and isn’t that what we’re after as leaders?

Choose your confrontations, and have a desired outcome, but don’t avoid them!

Walk In Someone Else’s Shoes

The last lesson I want to reflect on is that we cannot know what others are going through. However, it is important for us to try to understand other roles, responsibilities, and struggles by walking in their shoes.

This is why actions like “undercover boss” are so useful, as the CEO or owner gets to understand the struggles of those at the bottom. They get to walk in their shoes, giving them a better understanding.

So wherever possible try to walk in someone else’s shoes, it can give you a better appreciation and understanding of your team!