When to Take Credit for Someone Else

As a customer, you’ve likely encountered frontline employees who are powerless.   Let’s say you have a non-typical request.     The employee states, ‘I’ll have to go ask my manager.’ They later return with, ‘My manager said that yes we can do that for you.’ How demeaning. That response makes everyone look bad; the employee appears to be untrained, and the supervisor comes across as a micromanager. Ironically, when I interview managers in advance of my seminars for their teams, they tell me they want the opposite to happen. Smart managers want employees to take credit for the decision.   Employees have greater impact explaining to customers, ‘I’ll look into this and see what I can do for you.’ Then after consulting your manager, say, ‘Here’s what I’ve come up with for you…’  You and the manager look better, and customers feel like they’re dealing with the right person.