by Margaret Hirsch
When starting a new job or career very few people think of themselves as leaders and I was one of these. For a while I was happy to be a follower, but as I progressed in companies I always took the initiative, went the extra mile, and was very soon frustrated by the red tape and protocol of corporate companies.
Through an absolute fluke (I was fired for being pregnant), I was thrown out into the world with nothing but a baby in my belly and had to sink or swim very quickly in this rough old world of ours.
Luckily taking the initiative and being responsible stood me in good stead and the very next day I started my own business. At the same time my husband was frustrated with his job and also decided to start his own business and that’s how we went from having two jobs and no children to having two children and no jobs in the space of one year.
Being in your own business you immediately become a leader - even if you are just leading yourself and you learn to make quick decisions and get things done as cheaply as possible - especially if you only have R900 between you and starvation..
I always tell people that God gives you a little bit of money and checks on how you deal with it. If you waste it he doesn’t give you any more but if you look after it and make it grow - he gives you a bit more and checks again. It's up to you to use it wisely, save 10%, invest 10% and give 10% to charity - that’s the correct formula.
Leadership is not something you can learn in a book - no matter what business you are in, you are actually in the people business and people will only follow a leader that they like, know, trust and respect, so if you want to be a leader in the business you are in or if you want to start your own business, you need to become that person.
Most people start their business by themselves or with a partner but very soon it’s obvious you can’t do everything all the time so you need to call for help and you start the unbelievably difficult journey of recruiting the right people for the right jobs. Delegating is undeniably the most difficult thing I ever had to do - when we started I did everything in the office, taking the calls, writing the job cards, answering the phone, serving customers, invoicing, credit control, debtor control, payments, follow ups - you name it - I did it. Soon it became too much for one person and we recruited our first staff member - an amazing lady named Pat Naidoo. She had just had her fourth baby and needed some extra money so in she came and in that exact minute I became a leader as I had to show her the ropes and get her to think the way I did. She was amazing - like a sponge she soaked it all up - she even started to speak the way I did. One day I said to her - we really need another person here - a man to help us as we had a spares and service dept and the technicians who bought from us always wanted to speak to a man. She was washing the dishes that night and she looked out her kitchen window and saw her neighbour Alvin Naidoo outside his house - she called to him and the next day he started with us and so it went until today we have a staff of over 2500 people including ambassadors and sub-contractors - I had unwittingly become a leader literally growing the business one person at a time. To this day I still vet every single person who comes into our group as we are a unique bunch of individuals - each person chosen firstly for their good attitude - I always say I can train skills but I can’t train attitude.
Being a leader is not for sissies - you do need to be tough and you will make the odd mistake and it does hurt when people take advantage of you, but your mantra must always be to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus - quickly! One rotten apple can poison the whole barrel. You yourself need to be above reproach all the time - remember there is just one of you watching all of them but all of them are watching you all the time - one wrong step and it goes through the ranks like wildfire - a reputation takes a lifetime to build but one wrong move will destroy it overnight.
Of all the wonderful things I have done in my life, and there are many, I think being a leader is without doubt the most rewarding. I know that everyone who works at Hirsch's Homestores now knows who I am and all those who have left will never forget me!
Never a day goes by that one person doesn't thank me for the lessons I taught them - lessons they could never learn in a text book. This spilled over into my networking group, the Mrs South Africa team, my Women of Worth group and many more.
As you will never forget your school teachers - and we all remember those - the good and the bad - people will always remember their boss - if you are a boss of any sort from supervisor of one to executive director of 2500 - make sure you always live with the mantra of honesty, integrity and loyalty and as my friend Regine le Roux says - Reputation Matters.
Much Love,
Margaret Hirsch