Came across a provocative title the other day. How dressing like Catwoman earned me new business in the Globe and Mail. In the article, Michelle Ray tells of how she was tasked by her manager with selling advertising to a large cinema complex. She went to the first one and struck out as she was cold-calling. She saw a costume shop as she was driving to her next destination and found a Catwoman costume. She continued on to her destination dressed as Catwoman. Bye the end of the day, she landed 6 new contracts.
She told her manager what she had done to land the contracts. Silence. Then uncontrollable laughter. He had her repeat it to make sure he heard her correctly. He then commended her for her innovation, imagination and being a bold manager.
She goes on to commend her manager for his support of her initiatives, no matter how far-fetched. She gives some reasons why employing someone like her manager is in the best interest of their employees:
- Supportive leaders build employee loyalty
- Supportive leaders build trust and initiative
- Supportive leaders boost creativity and productivity