Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Some are leaders, and others are followers. We have heard this all our lives. If it is true. Which are you? That should depend on the situation you are in. At times, even the best leader should step back and allow others to take the reins.

Managers are leaders. The best allows others to lead when they show talents and abilities. I have often trained employees who eventually became department supervisors or managers. My management experience began with my first job while still in high school.

Does that seem unusual to you? I’ve gotten to know many leads, supervisors, and managers over the years who have started in the ranks and worked their way up in companies. You know that old saying, “The cream always rises to the top.”

The most important upper managers that you know of have most likely started at lower levels. What is the President of the United States? He is the chief executive. That means he is the top manager. He has lower management that works for him. Each Cabinet member also manages their staff as well.

Think about the people that you have voted for during the last few decades. Most of the candidates were governors, senators, and congressmen who began at lower levels of state government or even as assistants to others who worked in these offices.

The problems any business has can also crop up in government. Managers who try to bully their way through, around, or over employees seem to exist everywhere. I’ve noticed commercials on local TV for an attorney who is asking women to call her if their bosses are acting inappropriately

These are the worst cases of bad management, but there are a lot of poor managers out there in the business world. I would rather take some time to tell you what I learned from some of my best managers. Mr. Costello owned Dog N Suds on North Glenstone in the 1970s, and he taught me to treat everyone the way I wanted to be treated. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Tom hired me as a salesman and promoted me to a store manager in three months. He then recommended me to be the assistant livestock manager at the wholesale company owned by the man who owned the pet stores. He and the livestock manager, John, then recommended me for my first purchasing position.

Gary hired me as a buyer and made me his purchasing supervisor with the intention of my taking his position when he moved from purchasing to another spot in the company. I learned from some of the best, and I have trained some of the best. Accept help and pass it on.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger