Geraldine Leirós Martinez, general manager at Amazon's largest fulfillment center in Madrid.
Leirós Martinez (left) chatting with Amazon's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations, John Felton (right) during Felton's visit to Amazon Operations sites in Spain. Page overview
Willingness to ask for help
When you start a new role, you don’t know what you don’t know. You need to approach that moment with humility, listen to what’s happening around you, and ask for help. At the end of the day, people appreciate the collaborative effort. Sometimes you hit a wall, and a good leader works with their team to climb it. It's not a barrier if you don’t see it that way. If you look around, there will likely be a lot of people who are willing to support, regardless of their role or where they are in the world. Message someone, call someone, and ask for support when you need it. And of course, always return the favor.
I learned the importance of empathy during my experience at the fulfillment center in France with the support of a mentor. Early on, I quickly realized that focusing only on results wasn’t the right approach, but the shift in my leadership style didn’t happen overnight. I worked with my mentor to develop a more empathetic approach and worked to develop the traits I admired most in her. When I took over as site leader in a fulfillment center in Seville (one of my favorite cities in Spain) I knew that the most important step was getting to know my employees on a deeper level which helped me earn more trust as their leader. This experience completely changed the way I approach leadership. It takes effort, but it’s so important to push yourself to understand the person in front of you. First you work on engagement, then results come.
Your energy is contagious. When you do something as a leader, it can inspire others to take action. Focus on the energy and passion you bring to work. I'm obsessed with the impact we make for our customers and communities, and I work to share that enthusiasm with the people on my team. It’s so important for your team to feel excited about working toward the same goal. The team from Seville gifted me a special vest with the names of all of the fulfillment centers where I’ve worked embroidered on it, and I wear it every day as a reminder of the amazing work we accomplished together.
As a leader, it’s important to look beyond industry biases to see the potential of the individuals in front of you. Many often assume that my work in logistics is for men, but nearly half of my team comprises women. Moreover, female leaders represent more than 35% of the senior leadership in Spain fulfillment centers, with more moving their way up through our local Graduate Program every day. When you see potential in your employees, do everything you can to help them meet it, regardless of industry biases.
There’s no limit to what you can learn. We can’t get stuck in our ways if we want to be effective leaders. I reflect on this a lot when I change sites. For example, I loved the experience in Seville, and I was so proud of the culture and processes I helped build there, but I had to embrace another way of working when I came to Madrid and adjust my approach to learn and grow with this new team. I had to watch and learn for a while to figure out where I could add value. When you get too comfortable, it's time to find the next challenge. That doesn’t have to mean moving to a new city or taking a new job, there’s always room to improve how you’re supporting your team and your customers.
