Inc.Early in my career I learned something no title could teach me: people follow what you do, not what you're called. I came up through retail sales, working alongside the teams that meet customers face to face every day. That is where I learned how a business really runs, and it is still how I lead today.
The floor tells you the truth
Reports tell you what happened. The floor tells you why. When you stand next to the people doing the work, you see the small things a spreadsheet never shows: the question customers keep asking, the tool that slows everyone down, the new hire who is one good conversation away from quitting or becoming your best performer.
Most problems in a business are visible long before they show up in the numbers. You just have to be close enough to see them.
Earn the right to ask
Leaders who stay in their office ask for effort. Leaders who show up earn it. When your team has seen you do the work, they trust that what you're asking for is possible. That trust is worth more than any incentive plan.
That doesn't mean doing everyone's job. It means understanding every job well enough to make it easier.
Recruit. Train. Support.
As COO of Aurum Enterprise, most of what I do comes down to three things: bring in the right people, train them well, and give them tools that let them win. None of that works from a distance. Hiring is about reading people. Training is about seeing exactly where someone gets stuck. Support is about removing the obstacle before it costs you a good person.
Calm is a skill
The best operators I know are calm under pressure. Not because nothing goes wrong, but because they've seen enough to know what to do next. Calm spreads. So does panic. A team takes its temperature from the person leading it.
The title comes last
A title tells people where you sit. Your actions tell them who you are. Every team I've built started with the same choice: show up first, work beside them, and make their job easier. The title comes after. It always should.
Mohammed R. AlajnafFounder & CEO of Alajnaf Inc. and COO of Aurum Enterprise, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More about Mohammed · LinkedIn