LBS 6: Great Leaders Set High Expectations - Mandy Burage

Paper Napkin Wisdom

“Great leaders set high expectations for their teams, but even higher expectations for themselves,” says Mandy Burage, Director of Operations at Petra Coach. She explains that through the course of her childhood and early career, she encountered many personal and professional disappointments stemming from the fact that she set very high expectations for herself, while others did not set the same expectations for themselves, and as a result, team successes were adversely impacted. Later, Mandy realized that when leaders, especially entrepreneurs, set high expectations for the team, and even higher goals for themselves, it leads to success.

“When recruiting and hiring, I look for team players who possess motivation and high expectations,” says Mandy. “However, they also must be self-starters who follow through on tasks without needing to be ‘managed’ constantly. If a team member can’t fulfill their role independently, it slows the progress of every team member and hinders overall success.” Mandy also notes that collaboration is best when everyone brings something to the table.

True leaders have walked the walk. Hands on experience is a key element of being a good leader. “If I ask an employee to work late, or travel on a Saturday, they know that I also work late and travel on Saturdays.” Petra Coach succeeds because of a strong culture, with six core values that employees and candidates adhere to in the quest for success. One of the core values is Please and Thank You. Petra Coach teammates write and send thank you cards to one another. When employees are appreciated, and appreciate others, it increases morale, and fends off burnout.

DICS is also part of the Petra Coach culture. It is a big part of the way Mandy views herself professionally and personally, and how she operates as part of the Petra Coach team, as well as her home team (wife and mother). DISC stands for: Dominance (D), Inducement (I), Submission (S), and Compliance (C).

Learn more about great leaders leading great teams, with Mandy Burage, on this episode of Leading Behind the Scenes.