The Sticky Truth About Leadership
Written By Todd Ringler
I walked into a national retail chain recently and saw something that made me pause: two nearly identical products, same shelf, same brand—yet each handled completely differently. One had a clean label and no visible pricing. The other had a bright, hard-to-remove price tag slapped right on the front.
You probably know the experience. You bring something home, excited to use it. And there it is—a stubborn sticker that refuses to peel off cleanly. You’re left scraping at it with a fingernail, maybe even pulling out the Goo Gone. The excitement fades. And for what?
It’s easy to write that off as a minor inconvenience. But dig deeper, and it reveals something more important—something operational. Something cultural.
When a Sticker Isn’t Just a Sticker
Why would two similar items be labeled differently? Is it bad management? Lack of a clear policy? Inconsistent training? Or maybe someone simply didn’t care enough to do it right?
What makes it interesting is that it wasn’t a supply chain issue or a system limitation. This was human decision-making—one employee placed a sticker with care, the other didn’t. And yet both outcomes reflect directly on the business.
That’s the sticky truth about leadership: small oversights often point to larger problems. What feels like an isolated error is frequently a symptom of a process that doesn’t exist—or one that isn’t followed.
From Store Shelves to the Front Lines of Your Business
We see similar issues play out in privately held companies all the time. Owners and managers tell us:
“It’s impossible to find good people.”
“No one follows through the way they should.”
“Employees don’t seem to care.”
But the first question we ask is: What do your systems look like?
- How do you hire, onboard, and train?
- Are expectations documented or assumed?
- How is performance measured and reinforced?
- Do your managers model what they want from their teams?
- Is there accountability—or just frustration?
People don’t operate well in a vacuum. If expectations are vague and feedback is irregular, even the most capable employee will drift off course. On the other hand, when systems are in place, leadership is clear, and accountability is part of the culture, performance follows suit.
It’s Not Just the Employee
When something goes wrong—or simply doesn’t get done the right way—the instinct is to look at the employee. But more often than not, the real opportunity lies in management.
Did we give that employee what they needed to succeed? Were they trained, or just told? Were they given feedback, or left to figure it out on their own? Was the standard ever clearly communicated?
Great leaders don’t just notice what went wrong—they ask why it happened and what process allowed it to.
Leadership Leaves a Residue
Just like that sticker you couldn’t quite peel off, the effects of leadership—good or bad—tend to linger.
Inconsistency leaves behind frustration, inefficiency, and missed potential. Clear leadership, on the other hand, leaves behind a culture of accountability, ownership, and pride in the details.
So the next time you catch yourself peeling at a stubborn price tag, take a moment. What’s the residue of your own leadership? And are your systems built to support the kind of excellence you want to see?
Because in the end, the little things are never just little. They’re your culture, your values, and your leadership—on full display.