Leadership is a quality that just about any job paying a reasonable salary requires, but employers can be so vague about what it means. Yesterday I was facilitating a networking event for Islington Chamber of Commerce’s Women In Business club. The topic was Personal Leadership.

We took over a family-owned business – an ice-cream parlour (Udderlicious, 187 Upper Street if you go near Islington in London, England), which has only been open for 2 months. As facilitator, I asked the owners to talk about their journey to opening the shop and the challengers they face, to see what lessons could be learned.

There were three particular attitudes and behaviours they talked about which for me epitomise good leadership.

1. Playing to staff’s strengths and encouraging them to develop. One of their staff is a real people person, so they actively encourage him to come out from behind the counter and meet and greet customers, and take their orders. The customers love him, and he loves doing it, so everyone has a great experience.

2. Getting involved when everyone’s back is against the wall. Delegation is an important skill, but there are times when you all have to turn your hand to all manner of unsavoury or menial activities. If the toilets need cleaning, and you’re the one not doing anything, then toilets it is! And it’s important to know when to stop mucking in, and to step back to ensure that the strategic side of things is also being attended to.

3. Passion for the product and what they do. Udderlicious is unique, because they make the ice-cream themselves, on the premises (and it’s delicious). When they talk about what they are doing you can hear the enthusiasm, excitement and belief in what they are doing, which, for a customer is so reassuring. It rubs off. I found myself leaving there as a passionate advocate of what they are doing. You get such a strong sense that this is important to them, and that they want their customers to have a great experience. They also do everything they can to source all their supplies (including the furniture) locally, which is another great selling point.

When you’re an employee, it’s not always easy to have that passion. Nor do you necessarily have the opportunity to bring on other people. However, if you can’t demonstrate passion, a willingness to get involved and a generosity of spirit, you’re likely to get left behind. And if the organisation constrains you so much that the joy has gone out of your working week, then it’s worth considering what price you are paying in emotional terms to stay there.