When I used to waitress, I remember thinking, Thank God there are people to talk to here. I’m not referring to the customers–I mean, some of them were interesting individuals, but most of the time they were drunk and demanding, and I was tired and bored.  Bored of repeating the same thing over and over again.  I repeated the same menu, set the table the same way, delivered the same food, and made the same jokes so many times, all to encourage my customers give 20% instead of 15%.  It made a difference at the end my week.

 

That said, the experience actually wasn’t so terrible.  Why? I liked who I worked with.  More to the point, I liked our managers.  Unless you’re in fine dining (and maybe even for the fine dining specialists), waitressing gets old.  When you have someone kind and understanding to talk to, it can make your day a lot easier. As we moved through leadership theories this semester, I’ve been seeking an answer to a question that was puzzling to me:

How do you lead people through mundane and unsatisfying tasks?

 

And then arrived the Path-Goal Theory.  This beautiful theory posits that leadership behavior should adapt to subordinate and task characteristics (Northouse, 2010).  The objective of the leader is to remove the obstacles blocking subordinates so they can better achieve their task goals.  Northouse (2010) explains that for every set of subordinate and task characteristics one of four leadership behaviors should be adopted: directive, supportive, participative, or achievement-oriented.  It was in this discussion that I found the answer to my leadership dilemma.

 

Personally, I prefer more grandiose perspectives of leadership such as the Trait or Transformational models.  However, there are some jobs where you as the subordinate do not require a semi-God as your leader.  You just need someone to laugh with, offer you a pat on the back or help you out when you have to take a 10-minute breather.  This concept is upheld by the Path-Goal Theory.  When tasks are repetitive and employees are unsatisfied by their work or require some human attention, the supportive leadership style is highly recommended (Northouse, 2010).

 

Next time I take a waitressing job (or similar work), I’ll make my supportive management order clear.

 

 

References

 

Northouse, P.G. (2010).  Leadership: Theory and Practice.  Los Angeles: Sage Publications.