From my experience, there seems to be some cloak and dagger to the word “manager”. I tend to get the perception that the manager is supposed to be someone like the wizard of Oz, only appearing to issue governance and authority from afar. This is not how I roll. Just about every day of the week, I sweep the floor.
This week, one employee questioned me about it. She didn’t understand why I didn’t tell someone else to do it and she was almost angry about it. I want to explain my perspective. My job is to maintain and improve my store. In regards to that, I don’t believe that any job is below me. If a job needs done and is needed to improve customer experience, you are damn right that I’m going to do it. This includes sweeping. As part of a massive store overhaul, cleanliness and appearance are high on my priority list. In between customer service issues, scheduling services, and deliveries, I find that picking up a broom is a great use of my time. There are great employees at my store that are doing their job. Why would I ever redirect them because of the perception of a job? Sweeping takes very little time. It can always be done and I would rather be a leader through action.