Leadership in the management of a small business: Fabio Miranda Galves

Do a search for "leadership" and Google will offer about 843,000,000 options. That means there are close to a billion interpretations of  "leadership". Some web pages will offer insights into the theory of the characteristics of a leader. Other pages will touch on the practical elements of inspiring others to pursue a cause or to follow directions.

Leadership is intangible. No particular approach to taking charge of a mission will work in all workplaces or scenarios. An army officer might bark orders to his or her men and women and elicit an instant response. A restaurant manager will have to use more subtle means to create order and generate outcomes to concurrently please owners, staff and guests.

Fabio Miranda Galves is from São Paulo. Currently enjoying the lifestyle and community opportunities that are in abundance on the Gold Coast and Far Northern NSW, Fabio finds time to fulfill the role of General Manager at Rozzi's at Tweed City.

Business Daily interviewed Fabio to gain an appreciation of his attitudes to running Rozzi's, a busy eatery in a high traffic shopping centre food court, known as The Cove.

"I am inspired by a challenge. Rozzi's is fast paced start up that is dynamic. Our menu is evolving, our customer base changes throughout the day and my staff expect me to set an agenda for them to follow"

"I can narrow my approach to leadership to eight key points."

1. Good leadership. I lead by example in the way I interact respectfully and courteously with everyone who I come into contact with at Rozzi's. I focus on creating a supportive environment for staff where they can grow their confidence as they learn new skills.

2. Be open. Be prepared for criticism. Be open to learning new things. Listen to feedback from staff.

3. Think outside the box. Think creatively without limitations. Where possible, do not impose self applied limitations as to do so, will limit everyone in the organisation. The one thing that I cannot do in life is what I do not want to do.

4. Give people a chance. As the manager, I can tell when a person is looking for something or for anything. If I have a staff position to fill, I look for signs that an applicant, even one with no previous experience, is open to learning.

5. Choose wisely. Be surrounded by good people who will make your universe change. I also help to create change by addressing my own little universe.

6. Act decisively. If I can do something today, I will do it today. Whether it is giving someone a lift or making a call. I will do it for the business and I will not hold back.

7. Monitor and react. Evaluate products, services and processes. Through monitoring what was happening, I saw that price points were impacting our core business. I knew that I had to adjust portions and procedures without changing pricing so that I could provide a sustainable menu range. I made decisive changes. I sourced better products from new suppliers, I purchased raw materials in ready to serve formats and I purchased different cuts of meats. Each action improved the quality of our meals.

8. Implement change. Be the change. Lead the change. Embrace comments and suggestions from everyone in all the multiple roles within the business.

"Whatever I do in life, I know that I will always spend time at work. Work is a wonderful part of life."