Starting way back in my supervisor days with SIS 12 years ago, it became clear that I needed to develop an “outside of the box” leadership style. As a retail supervisor, I did nearly 80% of my workload from the road. Without the typical office setting or even a client site where I could interact with my team, the only way to build relationships and support our “boots on the ground” was to be out amongst them in the field. My presence not only familiarized names to faces on both sides, but it also demonstrated to the team that I was out there to support them, get to know them, and not be just a voice on the phone trying to fill shifts. As often as I could, I spent a couple of hours working the post or LP detail with them to “lead by example.” My presence helped build a trusting relationship and guided me to become more of a leader than just a supervisor. 

Every leader has a style that they must build and formulate to best suit their team, market, site, and client. Those styles will differ from leader to leader, but there should be some similarities. John Spesak makes it abundantly clear here at SIS that the Specialists are our highest commodity, and without them, we as an industry-changing company do not exist. During one of my first leadership meetings, I vividly remember something John said that stuck with me and somewhat shaped what I wanted my leadership style to be. He said, “I expect you always to be training your replacement.” It opened my eyes to the realization that when I move up the chain, I need somebody trained and ready to backfill my position who would keep the team as strong, if not stronger, moving forward. 

In The Art of Ronin Leadership, Mike Howard said, “Leaders know that empowering your field leaders and teams ultimately leads to better morale, better business execution, and happier and more motivated teams.” My experience at SIS under Tom Stevens and Vic Gomes has confirmed this. 

Times are uncertain in our industry. At SIS, fluid staffing increases and decreases and client acquisitions make it more important than ever to maintain and project strong leadership. It will be what separates us from our inadequate competitors. Regardless of the level of leadership or title on our business cards, we should always strive to become stronger leaders. Lieutenant Jason Redman, US Navy SEAL, said in his book The Trident: The Forging and Re-forging of a Navy SEAL Leader, “A good leader knows his limitations and works to overcome them with knowledge, experience, and training. A good leader is not afraid to ask questions, seek counsel, or rely on others with greater expertise when necessary.” 

SIS built an extraordinarily diverse and knowledgeable leadership team with experience in countless backgrounds across all divisions, with each leader having their particular leadership style. The learning potential and knowledge building for every level here are endless, and sharing that knowledge can only make our leadership and our entire company a stronger family. 

“I expect you always to be training your replacement.”