True business leadership (and not)

Dave Ramsey has a popular quote that reads, "True leadership is servanthood. Put the interests of others at the center of your decisions." In business, others refer to your customers and your employees. As a county, Placer is blessed when compared to many counties across the state because we were one of the first to move to Stage 2 in our COVID-19 situation as we started opening additional business sectors sooner than many. And as of this week, we are opening more sectors, for which my "Covid hair" cheers. The vast majority of our businesses are demonstrating true leadership as the owners, supervisors and staff follow the guidelines and treat public safety seriously as they serve the public… whether or not they personally agree with the expectations placed before us all. The way the community talks about these businesses is very warm, appreciative and trusting. They are gaining a following that will remain loyal and you can feel the vibe in the community. In fact, they are even gaining some new customers they didn't have before. However, a few of our businesses are not showing responsibility in serving our community because they are not following safety guidelines as expected. Sometimes it's the leadership purposefully opposing "rules" and sometimes it's their demonstration of their own lack of concern to the staff that is getting passed on to the customers. Sometimes the owners are fully committed to the guidelines but a lack of supervision allows the staff to go slack on what's expected. The resulting behavior is not only hurting their own reputation in the community but it is hurting the reputation of the whole business sector as others come to our community for service. And even worse, it could be risking our good health status that will allow us to have even fewer restrictions and open additional business sectors sooner. To those few who seemingly don't care, please, reconsider what you are doing...or not doing, as you are part of a larger business sector that serves all of us. Remember that there are several other sectors and aspects of operation that really want to activate. They are all counting on you to be a serious leader who is responsible for our safety and our economy. Remember: True business leadership is servanthood and placing the interests of others at the center of your decisions. We will get through this mess. Let's do it right so we can all get through quickly and safely. Scott Alvord holds an MBA-MCA degree from Sacramento State University and serves on the Roseville City Council. In his spare time, he runs Advanced Development Concepts, is an adjunct business professor at William Jessup University and chairs the Placer County Economic Development Board.