Workers reflect their boss

One of my hobbies is watching people work and wondering what will make them more productive. Through these observations, I reflect on how leaders can have a greater impact. I guess this makes me somewhat of a leadership mystery shopper.

My wife is not too thrilled with this, as I seem to do it wherever we are - out to eat, shopping, travelling and in many other situations.

This hobby started when I had a great experience with a brand one day, and then on another was greatly let down by that same brand.

It made me wonder about the difference.

It is easy to blame the quality of an employee, or the perceived lack of training for such a difference. But after years of observation, it is evident that leadership is the real difference.

As an example, one weekend my wife and I, once again, experienced lousy service. She wanted to complain to the manager - that was how horrible the service was. But I stopped her and said: "Why do you want to go and waste your breath?" I also highlighted that talking to the manager would not fix the problem, as he was the problem.

A few weeks later, I was speaking with the chief executive of the company where the manager worked. I took advantage of the moment to share the poor customer service experience my wife and I had, and our lack of satisfaction. The chief executive echoed the point that leadership was the issue, and he noted that the company was going to replace the general manager with the aim of making a huge improvement.

Some may wonder why I am so quick to pin employees' performance on their leaders. That is where the accountability belongs.

The primary role of leaders and managers is to improve the performance of others. In any service setting - retail, restaurants, hospitality or another sector - it is easy to identify the good managers. They are the ones who spend their time out with the people, regularly providing feedback, encouraging the team and helping them get better.

Not long ago, I walked into a company and instantly sensed something was different - in a positive way. So I pulled several of the employees aside and asked them, "Why is this a good place to work?"

Consistently, they said their leaders helped them to get better.

When I am quietly observing people during my leadership mystery shopping, I am focusing on how managers help others to get better. It should be common sense that helping employees to improve is a fundamental role of a leader. It is much like being a coach for a sports team: the primary job is to put the right players on the pitch to win. One mantra for a leader could be based on the following quote: "Good, better, best; never let it rest till your team's good is better and better is best."

I also look for signs that show a leader is investing in building a culture of performance, where people become the best they can. The signs, albeit subjective, include employees who exude confidence - not in their own abilities but in the success of the organisation. The presence of confidence is a sign of leadership focus. It is contagious when leaders create an environment that is inspirational and helps their employees to get better.

Tommy Weir is an authority on fast-growth and emerging-market leadership, the author of The CEO Shift and the managing director of the Emerging Market Leadership Center