I am not sure what movie this line is from, or if it was from a movie at all.  If you are like me, when you hear these words you also think about a little green alien who has just landed on Earth and encountered their very first Human.  So, play along with me for a moment.  Let’s say I am the Human that they first encounter.  Better yet, let’s assume YOU are the Human these pesky little green guys encounter first.  When they ask to see your leader, is it fair to think you would or could have these thoughts?  “Why do they want to see my leader?”  “Why didn’t they assume I WAS the leader?”  “Am I not good enough for them?”  “What happens after they see my leader?”  “What if the leader IS me?”  “Now what?!”

So who is the “leader” in your business?  Yep, most of the time, it’s YOU!  For the sake of this post,  let’s just say it is.  And for fun, let’s pretend that your customers are aliens.  Side bar:  I know some of the customers we encounter act like they are from outer space, but we are fortunate enough most of our customers qualify as Earthlings.  When your customers walk into your business, can they recognize the leader? What do you do make it obvious?  Do you do anything at all?

Leadership demonstrates authority.  Expertise reinforces authority.  Yep, one way to be a good leader is to be an expert in the services you provide or the products you sell.  Here is an example you can relate to.  When you first take your pet in to their Veterinarian and the very able Vet Tech begins performing all of the preliminary exam steps, they are the expert.  However, the moment the Veterinarian walks into the room, the very able Vet Tech is now invisible to us.  Why?  Because the expert has commanded our attention and we immediately recognize them as the leader.  We are confident the leader will make solid recommendations and in many cases, give us specific direction (diagnosis, wound care, medicine, etc.) that we can follow to be successful and happy with the outcome.  The very best experts offer direction, knowing they have already garnered your confidence, and you can feel comfort in knowing that you don’t even have to think to hard about it, they have it already figured out.  In a day of life complexities, it is nice every now and then to rely on someone else’s knowhow and direction to guide us.

This is your challenge.  Don’t just be an order taker in your business.  Play an active role, an expert’s role, in the partnership you have with the pet parents in their pet’s life.  Offer suggestions, give advice, and assume the lead.  Believe it or not, all of us like being told what to do every now and then.  Especially in cases where we don’t have all of the answers already.

I encourage you to share your own experiences by leaving a comment for others to read.  Who knows, maybe someone else has some expertise to offer you or vice versa!

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Till next time….