The Green Sheet Online Edition

April 25, 2016 • Issue 16:04:02

A great leader may not be your friend

By Steven Feldshuh
Merchants

At what point do you realize you are working with a great leader? At what point do you understand that maybe that warm and fuzzy leader isn't necessarily beneficial to your long-term growth. Does every leader have to be your best friend? Do you have to agree with the leadership in order to learn, grow and prosper?

I have been around longer than most of you reading this article. I turned 66 this year and still want to learn from people who are more knowledgeable, even though I may not always like the way the message is delivered. Throughout my years, I have worked with, worked for, and partnered with several individuals whom I admired, disliked, learned from, felt troubled by, looked up to and resented. I believe most of these reactions were due to expectations that were or were not met.

But after all these years on earth, a lot of them work years, let me lay out what I believe great leadership traits are. To me a great leader must be:

• More knowledgeable, and have had a higher level of work experience than I have
• Very sharp within the operations in understanding what his or her company is about
• Knowledgeable about what the company's message is and to whom it is directed
• Able to handle pressure and respond in short order, so as not to keep anyone guessing
• Able to make decisions based on what's best for the overall company, not just a few people within
• Able to make a decision that may not be popular
• Someone who listens, and who gives full attention to the matter at hand
• Able to feel comfortable reaching out to anyone, anywhere for the betterment of the company
• Willing to invest money, time and effort to try and bring new product offerings or services to the group in order for all to benefit and grow
• Able to get past holding a grudge, and to forgive and forget

So when you find someone with the abilities I just listed, worry less, earn more and be thankful. At first that person may appear to have a large ego, but in essence, you have found someone who just grasps concepts quickly, who is highly intelligent and knows how things should work because he or she has navigated the payments sphere with tremendous success.

I am thankful to have such strong, unique leadership at the processor I work with. We have clashed in the past, but here's the lesson I learned: maybe it was my ego.

Steven Feldshuh, President of Merchants' Choice Payment Solutions East, has 18 years' experience in sales and ISO development. Directly prior to joining MCPSE in 2012, he was President of Payment Partners. In his current position, Steven devotes the bulk of his time to assisting agents in building their portfolios. Contact him by email at stevenf@mcpseast.com or by phone at 212-392-9202.

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