By: Jeff Toister (submitted by Carmen Gass)

“Be more managerial, or you’re fired!”

The director issued this ultimatum to his two managers. There had been some customer service issues within the department. The director wanted to see change, now.

The managers stared at their boss in disbelief.

I stared, too. The director had brought me in to meet with his leadership team and help create a strategy to improve the service culture. This was our first meeting, and it felt like a set-up.

The director looked to me for validation. What I said flummoxed him instead. “What exactly does ‘be more managerial’ look like?” Read more here.