Chapter One: There Has To Be A First

I was 23 the first time I was given a store manager role. I had just graduated college a few months before. I had a degree. I had worked retail through high school and college; I even started at the same store as an assistant manager. Was I ready to have those keys? No. Should anyone be that young and be responsible for millions of dollars in sales. No. Why? You’re just too damn immature. 

 Don’t get me wrong. A person can be 23 and run a store if they have done nothing else but work their way up from a part timer to a store manager role in the same company. That makes sense. You know the business inside and out and you know the customer well. You have been molded for the role. Someone took you under their wing and built you up to be the store’s leader. But coming out of college and getting your own store to run is another story.

 I couldn’t believe it the day I was promoted. On one hand I knew I could do it. After all, I fought hard to get it. On the other hand…I had no experience managing people and no experience being in a serious role. Sure, I had been president of organizations and in leadership roles all through high school and college, but a manager??? I had no idea what I was doing. All the textbooks in the world don’t prepare you for managing people. With shoplifting, firing of employees, long hours, training, delegating, merchandising and store visits with higher ups, you get lost on…I have to do what? 

My DM, Beth, knew I was green, but she saw a spark in me and $23,000 later (yes, $23K) said I was the one to take Contempo Casuals into a new era at Rosedale Mall. Back then Contempo was still owned by Nieman Marcus but was transitioning to a newly established junior brand called Wetseal. Those were fun times. Black lace and pleather to fast denim fashion and trend. New ideals. New management. Very exciting times. I was personally excited because Kathy Bronstein was the CEO of Wetseal. She was one on my retail idols in college. A female CEO in Retail??? So awesome! Things were looking up.

My actual “manager” badge from Contempo!

Then they weren’t…back to being immature. I was a club kid. Industrial club kid. Out til 3am club kid. Back at work at 8 am club kid. So was my team. We did it together. As you can imagine…I didn’t run the tightest of ships. I took on a lot of responsibility along with my co-manager. I didn’t know how to train or develop or discipline or set expectations. I knew how to open and close the store, merchandise the walls, greet customers and sell. That’s it, but it was a lot of fun. Especially when Contempo picked up the outfitting for “Clueless”. The whole company was turned upside down along with adapting certain stores to “A Girls Room”. Business was booming. 

I had to learn how to manage and manage fast. My motto became: “treat people the way you would want to be treated.” And that is what I did. I thought about all the managers I had had so far in my life and took out the good things that I observed from them and began my journey. I tried to stay away from the bad things I had observed but realized that was hard to do with a bunch of club kids running a top 10 volume store in the company. I fired employees over the phone, I cussed out managers on the sales floor, I dumped projects and responsibilities on people without training them on how to do things and worst of all…. I became a no nonsense, hardheaded egotist that employees started to despise. Then I got a corporate visit and the director of stores put me in my place by finding empty cardboard boxes in my backroom just sitting there with layers of dust and no meaning. “Unacceptable backroom standards.” FML. The visit went from bad to worse when my shrink results came out. I had internal theft that I was completely unaware of.

This is the first chapter in a long story of my retail life and how I became the person I am today. I hope it helps guide some of the just-starting-out retailers out there in the right direction. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a “how to” blog chapter, it’s more of make a lot of mistakes, but learn from them blog chapter. So, I hope you stay with me on this crazy rollercoaster ride and maybe learn something or maybe, just maybe, try not to make the same mistakes.

I'm Am Not A Robot

“Select all photos with traffic lights.” 

Have you ever compared your store management life to the robot log ins on purchasing websites? I’m guessing it feels like a never-ending battle to engage and be different from the norm. As you know, retail is a peculiar beast compared to other industries. It isn’t a 9-5 job and each day varies from the last, but sometimes the way you are managed or the way you manage your team can be very robotic. 

Do this. Do that. Not enough payroll. Not enough hours in the day to finish a project. A no call no show. The same customer returns merchandise… again. Another customer makes a complaint for a better discount. Employees crying in the bathroom. Cell phones on the sales floor. More markdowns. Moving merch from the front to the back. Moving that same merchandise from the back to the front. Last minute promos. Trash left in the fitting room. Go backs. “How are you today?” Schedule changes. These are just a few things that can pop up during a day. With so much going on inside the store, why are employees bored out of their minds? 

The answer is YOU. If you are feeling like you are on a never-ending loop, then you aren’t doing your job to the best of your ability. Of course, you like things done a certain way. You have routines. You have been doing it that way for a long time, but how about changing perspective and processes a bit? How about empowering your people? I know it sounds simple, but in reality, if you are going through the same motions of managing your people on a daily basis with all the crazy going on in your store, you are not doing the job of managing. You are just…doing.

Employees crave a sense of accomplishment. Herzberg said it best with his Motivation/Hygiene Theory. I am paraphrasing here; to reach true fulfillment one has to feel like they are a part of something and fulfilled, supported and challenged. If an employee feels no sense of accomplishment or direction, boredom and job dissatisfaction ensue. As the store leader, it is your job to foster a work environment that enhances job responsibilities and makes your team want to come to work every day. When was the last time you expressed an interest or really talked to your people? Asked them what they need from you to feel challenged? Took notes and learned something new? On the other hand, when was the last time your boss really had a direct conversation with you concerning your needs? Meant what they said? Answered the hard questions? Helped with a concern?

I write this with the hope it will help motivate yourself AND those you work with to change the process. You must ask the right questions of your team and open up a bit. It’s not easy, but your people will thank you for it. Your boss will thank you for it. It takes guts to ask for help or change your mind set, but you will be worthier of a management title for doing so. Your team will feel better about their future and your store will run smoothly knowing it is an ever-changing environment where people feel empowered to make decisions and not fear mistakes. So instead of going through the everyday motions of do this or do that, how about taking a more democratic approach by asking someone how they would accomplish the task at hand. Try it. You may just like what you hear.

Just Listen

Have you ever pondered the question…Why do some employees learn faster than others? Or why do some people pick up on things as if second nature and others well…not so much? This is something that has become a case study for me over the years. One that is mesmerizing to myself and, as I heard recently from a luxury store manager, to her as well. Here is what she asked: 

“What makes one employee so naturally apt to complete a job with little direction where another will miss the mark completely even after thorough explanation? It can be as simple as alphabetical order; one can complete putting something to SOP and one cannot. What in leadership does it take to develop an employee to not only be responsible for their behavior, but to open their mindset about how their behavior not only impacts their environment but also can open their growth. Leaders are not magicians. They use their environment to find their answers and that alone is the transition that an employee needs to make to grow from follower to leader.”

Let’s break down what she says. First of all, there is no bad way to learn. Let’s get that straight. Everyone learns differently based on several factors. Education, upbringing, experience and habits to name a few. It’s not up to the employee to know everything when they are first hired or in a position for a long time. It is up to you as a manager to ensure they are comprehending all information in a way that makes sense to them and that they are doing tasks to fulfill a specific purpose. I want to emphasize that leaders ARE NOT magicians or fortune tellers, but leaders ARE supposed to be adaptable to employee needs. Each employee you hire comes to you with a different work ethic and different set of values. These are two things we cannot teach a person, but we can push them into a different direction if needed.

I had two employees hired at the same time. They had the same back ground, but one ended up being promoted much faster than the other one and over time became a strong leader herself. Now some would say I failed the second one, but I am here to tell you that each had different levels of training designed just for them and specific to how they learned. The second one actually moved up the ladder herself…it just took a bit longer for her to understand the needs and wants of the business.

The truth of the matter is it takes an individual’s conviction to want to succeed. There is nothing you can do to make one person want something more than another. Sure, you can use a transactual philosophy, “I will give you this if you accomplish that.” Or you can watch and learn. A trial by error philosophy that helps you reach a more defined transformational approach. This approach helps the employee feel empowered to answer their own questions and take initiative in doing job tasks. The reward deeply depends on a sense of pride in job position and the motivation of accomplishing something for the team.

The next time you have an employee that is struggling at the most mundane of tasks, ask him or her why? Don’t tell them they are wrong or what they did wrong or reprimand them for not finishing on time. Talk to them and find out what the problem is. You may be surprised to hear that they just didn’t know how to do something and were afraid to ask for help in fear of disappointing you. That’s when you can say you failed. You weren’t adaptable to their needs. You didn’t listen to what they needed in order to accomplish the task at hand. 

Many managers would say, “I told them how to do it” or “I gave them the SOP binder to figure it out.” That just doesn’t work. You have to find a way to get them to understand what is needed on their own. It sounds silly, but if you are truly listening to them with an open mind, you will be able to approach their learning mindset in a way to make them find the answer themselves. Your leadership style has everything to do with the success of your employees and your business. It is up to you to develop an environment where your employees are part of the big picture. It is up to you to design an environment where an employee knows that what they are doing makes a difference. They need to understand that although you are the boss, they are the reason you still are the boss. They lift you up. Make it an environment where, as a team, your business is successful. Believe me, they will want to learn as much as possible to support you.

Roots

As you move further into adulthood, you’ll start to reflect on why you ended up the way you are. Why you have done the things you’ve done? Where did your time go? Where are you headed now? What is that you have accomplished with the sole purpose of charging through the future with new perspectives? I think back to my childhood dreams and wonder how I ended up here. I wanted to be a choreographer. I wanted to dance on Broadway. Somewhere along the way I stopped dancing and started leading. I started looking to a future without jazz hands and dance shoes. 

I have held many leadership roles; camp counselor, cheerleading captain, yearbook editor-n-chief, student life editor of my college paper, president of my sorority pledge class, president of my college dorm, teaching assistant, treasurer of a retail organization and every management role you can think of. Years of experience. Years of process. Years of people dynamics.

I am not writing this for ego’s sake, but to ask the question: “where did all this come from?” Sure, I have had great mentors in my life that have given me direction and focus and led me down this path. But in reality, I really have to thank my parents. I literally wouldn’t exist without them. Although, I had an interesting upbringing with my sister, my observations of my parent’s life absorbed into my understanding of what it takes to make a positive impact on others. 

My mom was a typical housewife while I was growing up, rearing my sister and I through life. At some point, she reached a time where she needed more and began running her own business. I watched her struggle to build a reputation in a community heavily saturated with the same concepts and grow it into a million-dollar milestone. She had a drive for quality, expert knowledge and strong customer service. She built an enduring reputation in the community and with local celebrities. I respected her drive for perfection, her successes and her challenges in business.

My dad started out in radio, but went to school to educate others. He was superintendent of schools and became a professor of graduate education. Hell, even a current governor was a student of his. He has incredibly high standards and HUGE shoes to fill. His students were teachers of mine and principals. They loved him as an educator and mentor. I idolized his strength of character, his will to challenge the system (push people’s buttons) and his motivation to become more than the status quo.

I have had a roller coaster of an adult life. I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be. I failed out of college my sophomore year, I have been fired from a job, written up several times, passed over for several management roles, divorced and survived an abusive relationship. I have traveled a downward spiral, come out the other side and didn’t let any of those hardships affect my desire to succeed. I went back to school and got a 4.0, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, ran multiple top volume stores, re-married and counseled fellow survivors. All to get me to where I am now. I have strong roots.

My father and I share a lot of traits from mannerisms to mood swings and my mother has given me a fight that I never would have imagined. Hell, she even beat cancer! Their tough as nails attitudes have shaped the woman and leader I have become. I have no regrets of the past. I have lived. 

I struggled, as will all of you, to adapt to several changes in my life and my career but realized in the long run each new experience has made me a more capable version of myself. This quest to better myself has, in turn, driven me to share my knowledge with others. Whether it is where you come from or what you have accomplished in life, it is important to take the time to reflect and observe those around you.  It’s time to make a difference in their lives. It’s time to stand out and grow roots. Time to become someone who empowers and teaches. Time to become someone who will leave a legacy of strong foundations of trust and encouragement. Too often we forget where we come from and what lessons we learned along the way. Why?

A Simple Theory

How many management decisions have you made all on your own? Do you seek the advice of others? Are you a trial-by-error type of manager? If you were able to answer any of these questions quickly in your mind, then you probably have a management philosophy. If you struggled to answer one and over thought the questions, then hopefully you are on your way to discovery. Don’t worry, it takes time. A lot of time.

 I am sure you were able to think of a name, past or present, to compare yourself to. I know I do. These answers helped shape how I have lead teams over the years. Many trial-and-error examples of leadership have shaped my development, some were awful and others mentor quality. All have encouraged me to find my own path to leadership and business success. 

There are the my-way-or-the-highway types. In the moment, you might believe they suck to work for, but after thinking about their strategy, you must realize they get it done. Their approach, well not admirable, it does have its advantages; to give teams a sense of urgency. This manager tells you exactly how it needs to be done without opening it up for discussion. They micro-manage you all the way through a project and will almost always take the credit for its successes (not the failure). This is called authoritarian theory. It is usually pushed as a hard deadline and it normally takes no prisoners in its efforts. 

Get it done. Do it their way. Move on. NEXT!!!! Many new managers take on this position because they don’t know any other way to define themselves as a manager. It is also used in managing those with time management struggles. It is tough, but it works. It may kill morale and it may make people not want to work for you. It will, however, help you with conflict resolution and insubordination. Two qualities needed in a strong manager.

Moving on.

In my experience, a democratic or laissez-faire style of leadership works best. At least it did for me. After spending most of my life running stores and maintaining strong tenure in teams, I found that those with strong knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) in their roles are often the best. A no brainer, right? They are highly productive and share a willingness to make the overall success of a store a priority. They can be employees you mentored from part time or hired up externally. When this type of management team is at its best, the business runs itself. It’s magic and allows you the opportunity to work on things that really matter…your people. Which in turn builds on their KSA’s. See how this works?

It never happens overnight. It really takes time to discover the right people that will define the business. It takes initiative and a strong work ethic to build on relationships and build trust. It takes conviction and foresight to know what their end results will be. They must believe in your purpose, understand the why’s of difficult conversations and be willing to mold into the employee you encourage them to be. When this happens, it gives you the opportunity to involve them in the overall decision-making process. You encourage their feedback, you value their opinions and seek it out. This becomes part of your leadership style. It not only encourages growth in your people, but helps you define the type of leader who want to become. You will be building a reputation and gaining a level of respect with your team and peers. A win-win. It makes all the hard work worthwhile. A true democratic leader will put their people on a pedestal by showing the entire team as to why the store is successful. The goal is to watch them grow, develop others in your style and so on and so on.

Defining the type of leader you want to become takes a lot of practice, trials and tribulations and turn over. You will, however, grow with each experience. After all, isn’t that the whole point? If you aren’t re-discovering yourself as a leader with each new employee, then why are you managing people in the first place? Just a thought….

Leadership and Dissent

If you want to be a strong leader you have to have people around that challenge you and your opinions; push your buttons and speak up when they don’t agree with your ideas. Leadership and dissent are a necessity in the world of running a business. Especially in regard to running a store. I have witnessed many managers view those with differing opinions as a thorn in their side and oftentimes those employees were coached out of a job. Why? Because the “leader” didn’t like being second guessed. Seems oddly familiar, right?

Although it can be incredibly difficult to manage people who are constantly judging you and questioning your every move, it is important to remember that these people are not in your shoes and don’t always understand the gravity of certain situations. However, they are there to impact your thinking positively and push you to be a better version of yourself. You cannot have strong leadership without dissent. You just can’t. For anyone who says otherwise, they probably have never been in a leadership role or they have probably never had great leadership in their careers to relate to. Just because you hold a manager or business owner title doesn’t mean you are a true leader. Many people get that confused. A true leader inspires growth in position, personal development and encourages people to do and be the same for others.

So…how do you embrace the opinions? How do you find that special someone to have by your side that isn’t an ass kisser? Well, that’s a good question and one where the answer is…time. Many managers and business leaders will tell you, myself included, that an impactful dissenter is not hard to find, but hard to believe in and trust. Trust being the more important word. They can be a person that holds some authority in your business, or in my case, several sales associates that gave me honest feedback on a daily basis and I trusted them with certain decisions. Age never matters, as some of the wisest people I have had by my side are 15 years younger than myself. Thieir life experience has brought strong opinions and concerns to the forefront. 

These employees are not necessarily “sheep” in your stores’ world, but they do follow you. They believe in your purpose and maximize their efforts to support the business processes you have developed. They also share feedback when something is not working and have the courage to tell you when you are JUST PLAIN WRONG.  Every person in a position of leadership should have one. Two is best, but one is enough to right any path. Be careful!!! You never want to find yourself in a predicament where an employee is undermining your every move. They suck the life out of your business; you spend more time putting out fires from their impulsive mistakes and lack of judgment then empowering those same people to rise up and see the bigger picture. 

How do you differentiate? Again, time. The ugly truth always shows itself. Usually, they are the first to report you to a superior with exaggerations and falsehoods. They prey upon others to join their cause with a quid pro quo mentality. Often, they become the best of friends with newer managers or employees and use their influence to adopt a negative outlook of who is in charge. This type of dissenter has only one goal in mind…to have your title. They usually have never held a decision-making position and they feel wronged by you for some reason. It’s the “the grass is always greener” mentality. When their theatrics don’t play out, they usually leave. Yet another sad reality in running a business as they were probably the one you were developing to be the next you and they grew tired of waiting. Being a leader means you don’t take it personal. You wish them well, move on, grow from the experience and go back to empowering and building. 

Dissent will have many impacts on a business, but you are looking for open communication and an emotional intelligence that will build upon the belief of a positive end result not only for your business, but your business’s reputation and culture. Leading by example is not always enough, but leading with the courage to change your personal dynamic can be. Leadership and dissent should be the hallmark of a stores’ success. If you aren’t growing through differing ideas, then no one else will.

Restoration

I grew up on a sailboat. Pretty sure I was conceived on a sailboat too. Well at least that is what I tell myself. Water means everything to me. I am a Pisces, if you believe in that type of stuff. Many of the characteristics all make sense to me. The biggest one…I'm a dreamer. That is for sure. I have a million ideas and know that someday they will all become reality. At least that is what I keep telling myself. My husband, however, probably wants the reality to set in sooner than later. I am babbling. My father loved his sailboats. We had many. He even bought an old wooden sailboat to restore. It sat in our front yard until it was too far gone to repair. My point? Restoring ourselves is hard. Really hard. It takes a vast amount of courage and belief in your purpose. It takes a strong sense of character and a support system around you that is not afraid to tell you like it is. It takes time.

We go through many transitions in our lives and to those just starting out on your adventure I want to leave you with some advice. Make sense of who you are. Seems pretty generic, I know, but bear with me here. Through the years in my career, I changed my course several times. I often think back to the movie “Sliding Doors” or, in current times, any multi-dimensional narrative out there in movie land. So many options to take. Which ones are the best? How does a person decide that question? Is it financial stability? Career progress? Save a marriage? Health related? How do you make a choice that will affect you for the rest of your life? I wish I knew the right answer, but I can only share my experiences. The answer is... all of the above.

My career has been a roller coaster. All over the place. (Yep, a Pisces). Did I make the right decisions along the way? I left journalism school for business school. Switched degree programs and universities. Why? In looking back, I think it was because of fear. Yes, fear. I was in magazine and book publishing and I didn’t want to move to New York. Idiot!!!! So, I left Journalism and started over in business school. Seems so prosaic now, but it was retail, merchandising and management. Ooooo much more exciting! This restored my faith in having a career. After all, business is everywhere. Stores are everywhere. So many options for a career path;  buying, management, recruiting, operations, merchandising… I was revitalized! Until I wasn’t.

The one thing I know to be true is people need to believe in you. It only takes one to make you feel like crap and self-implode. I had that happen to me at the height of my career. So, I left and started fulfilling one of my crazy dreams. Entrepreneurship. I started my own business. I thought it would be a dream come true. I would be around for the masses who have experienced all that I have. I wanted to ensure they had the support I never had. I wanted to fill a mentor void I so desperately craved. I have, and I continue to do so, but I discovered I needed more along the way to fulfill the needs of others.  MORE KNOWLEDGE! Even after 20 plus years working in retail developing employees to be their best selves and leading many businesses to success, I wanted more. So, I made the decision to advance myself into the world of strategic HR. I have decided that in order to achieve all that I want, I need to know everything there is to start from scratch. I need this to revive a part of me that embraces employee empowerment and development processes.

I never thought it would be so hard starting over. At my age, a Gen Xer, starting over can be a crazy adventure in determination and deprivation. Studying for the PHR exam has been an eye-opening experience. I haven’t taken an exam or studied, for that matter, in 25 years. My brain has had to reach back into long-forgotten memories to figure out how. Through the course of this new adventure, I have learned so much more than I could have ever imagined. I have learned that many of the leaders, I have worked for over the years, should never have had those positions in the first place. I learned we drank too much Kool-Aid. Retail management means you are your own HR department. You learn from experience. Your policies were probably copied and pasted from other companies and your operations are a hatchet job of ifs and probable’s. Perhaps an employment lawyer signed off on your handbooks, but did they? Now I know this truth. I have taken classes and read over 1700 pages of text. I have learned from those in positions of policy and observed from afar just how much is needed out there. 

Now comes the tough part. What do I do with this newfound knowledge? Reinvent myself…again? I think back on the sailboat rotting in my parents’ yard. Am I going to end up like that? A pile of wood with good intentions of becoming something better or will I sail on the waves of Lake Superior with the wind at my back and set a course of discovery? Will I restore the person who had all the conviction to change the world one store at a time? The Pisces in me says I will discover a new land and live up to my potential. I better get to it.

Impersonator

The other day I was thinking about what was next on the horizon for me and it got me thinking about what I don’t ever want to be…an impersonator. I have witnessed many of these disappointments in my career. What do I mean by impersonator? I’m talking about co-workers or bosses with highly regarded reputations, but upon getting to actually know them…they resemble a sad display of humanity. You better sit down. This is about getting something off my chest. Something that needed to be said a long time ago. 

I always wonder how these types of people get to their current level? Why are organizational leaders not seeing through the masks they wear? Is it me? Do I not see the qualities that have made them who they are? Am I just not that open-minded or accepting? Do I hold myself to a different standard? Are my expectations of positive leadership on a different level? Maybe?

I once knew a manager who was a peer of mine. I was envious of her. She was the beacon of company culture and everyone thought she was the greatest thing since sliced bread, myself included…until she was my boss. The intrigue slowly fizzled the more I got to know her and this vision I had had of who she was left little to be desired.

She wasn’t a walk-the-talk type of manager. She may have been when she was trying to prove herself; when she first started out, but things change. Oftentimes she spoke highly of people to their face, but behind closed doors was nothing but a junior high school girl gossiping and putting people down. As a subordinate listening to her speak so horribly of people, I often left disgusted and wondering what the hell she was saying about me when I wasn’t around. This also left me wondering who else was engaging her in these discussions peppering her ego to protect themselves. I never agreed with what she said. Probably why we stopped getting along.

Maybe I was a bit jealous of her success. (I will admit that), but she never came across as a person I would want as a mentor or a leader I wanted to follow. Why did everyone else? I became frustrated and defeated in my position. I wanted to change things for the better and be allowed to think outside the box. Manage my business the way it needed to be not how people hundreds of miles away wanted it to be. It was a success and my people were successful, yet she made me feel like a bottom dweller. She constantly put me down, made me feel inferior and never had a positive thing to say. She loved putting me in my place and embarrassing me in front of others. Of course she would never admit that. After fighting too long for my sanity, I quit. I got out as fast as I could and never looked back.

Reflecting back on what transpired, I probably would have done things differently, but at the time I felt I had nowhere to go and no one to trust with how I was feeling. Those that witnessed this frustration, never would have supported me out in the open. It was a sad state of affairs and a true testament to the world of retail. It just goes to show you can never fully trust the people you have lifted up. Those you have surrounded yourself with. Those you thought had your back. It’s all about politics. The what’s in it for me mentality? The what image should I have to impress not the what strengths do I have that impress and empower mentality? Right from wrong.

Imposters are people we don’t speak about in normal conversations. People are always trying to protect themselves. Don’t you think it's time for a change? Retail needs all the help it can get right now. Wouldn’t you agree? I write this now because enough time has passed, and I have come to grips with the person I am and the person I want to be. I have no patience for games. I will not stand by and allow politics to play a more significant role than growth of my people or the belief in said people. I only wish I would have had the courage back then to say these things to the people who mattered. Would they have listened? Perhaps I never would have left a job I loved or perhaps I would have been slowly coached out of a job for having an opinion about someone so loved. Whatever the case, the past is the past. I know my truth. I hope you do.

Held Together

I was talking to a friend the other day who kept saying how disconnected everyone is at her company. Home office has no relationship with stores and store management has no relationship with the sales team. She told me that her job title should be “a frayed knot keeping it all together.”

I chuckled when she said this, but as I thought further about what she was actually saying, it got me thinking. How many of these types of employees are out there trying to make sense of unorganized organizations? I’m talking about those employees that will do whatever it takes to calm the storm; dot the i’s and cross the t’s. A person who is willing to sacrifice their own time and standing to right an organization’s course. 

Being the knot can’t be easy. Hierarchies be damned. If your peers or your boss don’t have the vision to see what’s happening, it may look like you’re not a team player or you don’t have patience in the process. Worse yet, people will get used to someone else finishing their projects. It will become routine and soon friction and strife between team members rears its ugly head.

I was sometimes called a rebel in my career. Not because I stood out and defied authority, but because I wasn’t afraid to challenge the system. I always had an eye for efficiency and pushing people in the direction of positive results, (although many didn’t see it that way). A rebel is defined as a person who resists any authority, control or tradition. I define it as someone who makes things happen without constraint to better the environment. 

When I think back on my early retail days, I guess I would now call myself a knot too. I worked with many different types of people from all walks of life. Many had their own agendas and thought no one was really paying attention to their moves and ambitions. I, for one, always saw the big picture and knew what had to be done despite the ass kissers and people pleasers. I dotted their I’s and crossed their t’s because I wanted the store to be successful and its employees to believe in something.

If leadership would have noticed what was being done, perhaps I would have moved up a lot faster as someone they could count on for results, but oftentimes, the knot gets put on the back burner because they are not seen as the driven one.  You see... knots don’t take credit for their work. Some would say that is stupid and because of it, I was passed up many times in my career. I was also put into positions training people with higher salaries and titles than myself and operational roles to clean up messes, it bothered me back then, but now I see what it did for me. It built my reputation and my resume. It pushed me to be a stronger version of myself. It forced me into playing defense and sticking to my belief that I could make a difference without putting my credibility into question. 

Don’t get me wrong, I struggled in the past watching mediocre managers move up ladders, but they proved to not last in their roles. Why? They never had the skillset to accomplish the roles they were promoted into.

They struggled to manage people. They struggled to manage their time. Now, one could say it was the fault of the knot holding everything together that they weren’t able to grow into position and manage their store, but I would like to add, if they were doing what they were hired to do, then the knot would have never existed.

As a person in a leadership role now, I look for the person that encompasses these characteristics because I know who they are to become in the future. Those characteristics take a defining role in my hiring decisions and should be yours too. We have enough ass kissers and people pleasers to last a life time. They are not going anywhere, but the rebel? Give them the opportunity to shine. Believe me, you will not regret it and your business will thank you for it.

How do you know when you have found one? Open your eyes on and off the sales floor! Hiring? Look at the candidates journey. Ask them questions about their responsibilities. Notice their body language when asked about their role on a team or what their supervisor may say about them. Is it a bit awkward? Don’t hold it against them. If the answers aren’t negative, you have a knot. Hire them.

A Dying Breed?

“Retail stores in malls are a thing of the past.”

 “Online shopping is the only way I shop.”

“Customer service is dead.”

Have you heard those statements before? I have. All the time. The truth of the matter is, in my opinion, all these statements are completely not true. Now you can read articles and listen to podcasts about all these statements. Pundits out there analyzing businesses by looking at quarterly reports, company stocks and reading consumer polls and reviews, but what about those of us still working in stores? Don’t we have a say?

Sure, physical stores are not doing the business they used to, but malls are not ghost towns like many would have you believe. So how do we change the dynamic? How do we get the consumer to see that shopping in brick and mortar is still a great option? It’s not a dying breed?

People. Yep, it’s time to invest back in people. 

Retail isn’t dead it’s just…changing.  it’s time for companies to re-embrace what’s needed. One-on-one customer attention. I feel like companies have forgotten what that entails. People NEED people. A real person greeting you when you walk in (with a sincerity). Someone available to answer any questions you may have (with a smile). A person to give truthful advice on a product you may want to try (without a hidden agenda). 

I know…we live in a society of get-it-now-when-you-want-it-by-reading-a-review-at-a-time-that-is-convenient-to-you-mentality. Shop from a couch. Shop from work. Shop out walking the dog from your phone. It is so easy to add product to your virtual shopping cart, hit buy and wait for the magical box to be waiting for you at your door. Shouldn’t there be more? 

I am so tired of people asking, “why should I shop in stores?” or “why would you shop in a store?” Like it’s disgusting or appalling to even think about doing so. Personally, there is nothing I love more than walking into a store and walking through a shopping center. Physical stores are more than just a store, to me, they are an atmosphere. They emit a feeling when you walk in. An emotion you can’t get scrolling through countless pages on a website. Each brand resonates its own identity because each brand has its own personality. You can’t perceive that looking at a computer screen. Sure, there is beautiful imagery and tons of product knowledge, but wouldn’t you like to experience it in person to see if that image is reality?

Of course, retail has its hurdles. I am not naïve. Your vision of a positive experience quickly fizzles because there is no one working when you walk in. Payroll has been cut so badly, that stores are literally void of people. Payroll is expensive. A huge percentage of operating costs. It is easy to save money if you have less people working on the sales floor. However, hiring less people equals longer hours for employees. They end up doing twice as much and burning out twice as fast causing turnover. This reality equates to companies starting from scratch by recruiting, onboarding and training new replacements. This raises a company’s cost per hire. So, are they really saving money if managers are constantly hiring new people to fill the void? The answer is no. 

Retailers need to embrace this part of their successful past. It makes sense. Especially to managers working the sales floor who love their jobs and the brand they work for. Stores are still relevant in this new world of technology. Physical stores with amazing customer service is something online giants like Amazon can’t compete with. Managers who have more time doing what they are supposed to be doing (developing people and sales generation) instead of starting over with new teams all the time will bring stronger sales results. A stores reputation can only be respectable if its people are there to reflect it. 

It's A Jungle Out There

A store manager was forced to quit because a first impression wasn’t received well during a visit.

The truth is that this manager had everything going for himself. A successful business that was beating plan. He had a strong team which included several promotions from within. He, himself, embraced the culture and lead by example. Then why was he worth the risk of a possible termination?

The answer is politics. It is everywhere in the retail world. Do you look the part? Act the part? Blend in? Adhere to a stores culture? Does your store reflect a “family” atmosphere? Is there tension amongst the team? Have you put everything out there to be the best? Does your team reflect a great store dynamic? Are you a difficult employee to manage due to your ideas? Are you a threat? Where are your loyalties? 

So many things to think about when running a store and so many decisions to make that will reflect your character and position within a company. How do you manage it? How do you become the person THEY want you to be? I’d like to say you don’t, but that would be hypocritical of me. BUT you can mesh your management style with the image they want you to uphold. Believe me I have been there. This story, though offensive, did not surprise me. Unfortunately, I have been on the side that HAD to let a strong person go against my better judgement. It was hard, but I couldn’t let my position be the next cause for concern.  

At least that is what I always tell myself and others who approach the topic with me. It really pissed me off having to take part in the game. Being a store leader is a hard job and how you handle yourself on the job is the hardest part of all. People will view you however they want to view you whether it is in a way you want them too or not. Everyone has varying opinions on your reputation. One decision can make all the difference. In this situation, the manager chose to not to shine. It was a surprise visit and he wasn’t prepared to answer questions. He wasn’t dressed in dress code nor did he show a skillset the director needed to see to have faith in his abilities as a store leader. He failed to play the role he was hired to do. He failed to be his best self. He took his strong business for granted and was forced out of a company he loved being a part of.

It’s a jungle out there. A dog-eat-dog world. As managers, we cannot pretend to know it all, we NEED to know it all and be ready for whatever is thrown at us at any given time. One slip up and your reputation is gone. No amount of positive increases, positive reviews or beautiful merchandising will change a negative mark on an authorities list. So how can you compete with an idea that your fate can be decided at first glance? The answer…DON’T BE NAIVE. Know that you are always under a microscope. You are being watched and analyzed at every waking moment. Never be ill-prepared at the start of a day. Make sure your team knows everything that you do. Make sure THEY are prepared. Make sure they are prepared for the unknown and why you are preparing them. Protect your abilities by leading by example. Don’t give anyone the opportunity to not see you in the light you deserve. It’s the only way to survive. 

Elephant In The Room

How do we get over the stigmatism of “bad manager”? I have heard so many people say they quit their jobs due to poor management. This makes me so mad because it is easy to be a good manager. Everyone has differing opinions on the matter. What I have heard as reasons for employees leaving good companies is the following:

“They never listened to me.”

“They always scheduled me outside my availability.”

“They never worked on the sales floor.”

“They were always gossiping.”

“They treated me like dirt.”

I am not saying that I was a perfect manager, I had my faults too, but I did respect my people for their hard work. Is it really that hard to hold a conversation with someone nowadays? I am hearing it is. So why do managers struggle? 

Laziness. Yep, I said it!

When employees move up the ranks to become “the boss”, they often forget how they got there and what it was like to fight the battle. It is not leadership to reach the next rung of a ladder and treat your people the way you hated to be treated. Leadership, or should I say, positive leadership, means you need to embrace the good fight and nurture those around you to be the best versions of themselves. It takes a lot of work. You have to pick and choose your battles. Taking a break when you get to the top shouldn’t be in the cards. You should never feel comfortable.

Oftentimes when we are managing our businesses, we put tasks ahead of common sense. What do I mean by that? We always have a typical week that is full of processes, tb’s with upper level management and to do lists that seem never-ending. Why is it that you can’t make your people part of the lists? Seems pretty simple…My favorite part of the day, even when I was on empty from working crazy hours, was my impromptu one-on-ones with my people. They may never have known how much hearing about their day was important to me, but it was always a motivating force that I held close to my heart. It kept me going. 

Running a business is hard. It takes mad skills to not feel like you failed in some way. Why would you ever want to hear that the one thing you truly failed at was your people? It doesn’t matter if your business is hitting double-digit comps or your store is visually inspiring if your people keep leaving! Your people are the most important part. They are the reputation of not only your business in the community, but the brand image and reflection of you as manager or business owner. It is important to address these issues with your team. Usually, you will have a gut feeling. If you have never felt that feeling, then there are other things to address within yourself. No one is the perfect boss. Don’t ever think you are, but you should always inspire to be one.

Strife

Self-Doubt. You know what it is. You know what it feels like. You know how it fills your head. When it comes to managing people, it may enter your mind on a routine basis. This is why managing people is so damn hard. Why? Because all people have different personalities, different viewpoints and different beliefs. This can cause strife in your stores and wreak havoc on your team, but it’s needed to accomplish the goal ahead. To make you the best version of you. You as a boss. A leader. A mentor.

Over the years I have had a few characters on my teams that have been an eye roll of why. What does that mean? I am talking about those that for some reason out of nowhere have decided to make your life difficult by pursuing their own agendas. The ones that ride your successful coat tails, absorb everything they can from your teachings and then decide for themselves that they know enough to take over your position. We have all had them.  They judge your every move. They analyze your every decision. They talk behind your back to any who will listen. They build a defense around their crazy and turn strong individuals with potential into a mockery of all your hard work. It’s hard not to take it personal. It’s hard not to want to shake them and ask them what the hell they are doing. As frustrating as it is, you need them. You need them to make you stronger.

Your business becomes your family. You spend a lot of time together. Sometimes more time than those in your personal lives. When this conflict happens, it sends a knife through your heart and causes you to second guess why you spent so much time developing that person. Most have no idea that you know what is going on, but the entire store feels the frustration. Oftentimes, talking to said individual does nothing, but it does give you insight to why it is happening. Usually it is about salary (finding out someone in the same position is making more), entitlement (getting passed over for a position when tenured in role), or uninformed (not understanding where they are in the grander scheme of things.)

Hey, I have been there. That’s why it is important to try and clear the air from the very beginning. Not easy to do, but you have to, or your leadership will be called into question by a superior. Believe me this subject is always reported to someone other than yourself. You will be the last person they come to in fear of upsetting the status quo. Because they don’t want to hear your side of the story. That would make them the bad guy. That’s why it’s important to come to the following conclusion.

It’s time for them to go. No question. No more fighting. You aren’t giving up on them. You just won’t win this one. My answer, help them find a new role. Whether it is in your store or somewhere new. Give them the reigns. If they think they are ready, why hold them back? Sell them to competitors when there is an opening. Push them out and focus on those that want to continue on the current path. No hard feelings.

What about those that want you out and won’t leave? You need to win the battle by proving why you are in the position you are. Why you are the boss. Remember, numbers are everything. How is your business doing? How is your tenure? How are your store visits? What does your shrink look like? What does home office think about you? What type of leader have you proven to be.

To make a long story short…practice what you preach and for goodness sake lead by example. Don’t give them anything to use against you. Retail life is hard. There are a lot of politics involved at the higher levels. People are judged unfairly by first impressions all the time. Fight for your why’s. Strife will never go away, but there are things you can do to make it manageable.

Sense of Self

To be a strong leader or role model you need to check your ego at the door. A strong sense of self in order to celebrate the successes of those you work with. It seems like a no brainer, but in reality, think of all the people that you have worked for that didn’t have that mentality engrained in their leadership style. It probably became a toxic work place and lacked any one person who stood out as a mentor. Am I right?

Mentors are needed in today’s environment. Recently I have been communicating with an incredible woman that I met on LinkedIn Julie Stonehouse-Daradics. She made the comment:

“Gone are the days when we are impressed with people who are impressed with themselves.”

I bring this topic up in regard to the continued conversation of making your stores or businesses a positive environment where people want to work for you. As a manager it should be a daily goal to make an impact on those around you. I am not saying you have to be a beacon of influence with every word or action, but you should want to set an example of one. Good lord people! Wake up! The society of “me” needs to change. The selfish mentality of “my success”, as opposed to “our success” should be the cornerstone of any successful business and tenured team. The two go hand-in-hand.

If you haven’t yet observed an employee, you trained…train another with their own twist from your coaching, then you have yet to feel a strong sense of self. This epiphany will bring such a sense of accomplishment and confidence to your leadership that you will be driven to see it again and again forcing others to embrace this frame of mind as well. A long-term goal would be to see a pattern within your stores hierarchy.

To get the wheels turning, let’s go back to managing the schedule. I know it seems like a jump from a philosophy to a task, but in reality, you have the power to transform your team into a positive force for overall success. Changing the MY to OUR with something as simple as how they are scheduled. Great leaders see strengths in people before people see it in themselves. This in turn manifests a certain skillset that only a tenured team can understand if tested consistently.

The prior blog post “Building Blocks” was about testing out your teams through scheduling to achieve business success based on the right partnerships. This post continues that example by using those partnerships into a typical week routine to achieve success of tenure and accountability. Sit down with your management team and go over all the tasks that need to be achieved on a weekly basis. Divide them into operations and merchandising. You cannot have a strong business without a routine scheduled around these two responsibilities.

Depending on the size of your business and management team, you should know your employee’s strengths and opportunities. The goal is always how to get the most done in the least amount of time, so the primary focus can be on your customers. Here is where the building blocks fall into place. Schedule to peoples’ passions. This includes support from a sales team. When you have specific people doing things they love, they want to share with others, therefore beginning a mentor program that adds efficiency, bench strength and employees open to more responsibility.

When you have the right people working together at the same times every week to accomplish specific goals, a well-oiled machine ensues. Your store will begin to run by itself so, you as the business leader, can focus on other obligations…EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT! Your primary responsibility! This will not happen overnight. Remember, you have to test it out over a period of time to see what works and what doesn’t. Believe me, it is worth it in the end.

Building Blocks

“Aarrrggghhhhh I have to make the schedule.” I have felt that many times and said it out loud more times than I can count, but making the weekly schedule is more than managing payroll, it can be an art form. Stay with me here. I have always had a love/hate relationship with making schedules. Over the years, I managed to turn scheduling into a science of sales. Sound crazy? Yep, it is, but something I loved about managing my stores. My team might not have liked how long it would take to make the schedules, but I knew they would never really understand.

“Take the availability, hours needed, LY and projected sales and just MAKE the schedule.”

-said everyone always

If only it were that simple! If you think that is the idea, then you have been doing it all wrong! Did you know that making a schedule is the best business tool we, as store managers have to build our business? It is the one place you can manipulate payroll and availability for the better. Still with me??? Here is a little secret to for you…

Your people are the building blocks for a positive sales ledger.

I want you to take some time and really dive into your stores numbers. Analytics were always my favorite part about being a store manager and should be yours as well. For example, studying how that sweater in a certain area of the store did better on a certain type of fixture than it had on the other side of the store folded on a table always made me jump for joy at its results! Why can’t you have the same reaction when it comes to your people? Studying the key performance indicators (KPI) of your sales team is the best thing you can do to understand the dynamics of your business and make your schedule work for you. I am not talking about UPT or ADS necessarily, I am talking about time frames, team and production. Here is an example:

Tuesday nights from 6-9pm were the lowest performing sales generation time frame out of any for the entire week. Why? Was it the store’s traffic? Was it tasking? Was it who was working? Was it events in the area? Was it product flow management?

-The answer is yes to all of these scenarios

Something to consider when making a schedule, is your people’s performance together at the same time during the same shifts. I would always test certain managers with different sales associates. Who was the most productive together? Who had the best customer service? Who was able to get the most accomplished without sales suffering? I know it takes time to test the theory, but once you find the right combination, you no longer have struggling sales. I usually liked to keep a set schedule for those that would succeed together. It made them happy and customers became regulars on those days with that team. A win win!

There is a lot more to this theory, which I will get to next time, but this should give you a beginning and a new procedure to improve your business. If you have any questions, reach out. I am just an email away!

Ebb and Flow

We all go through phases in our lives.

Change happens in perpetual motion when running stores. It seems monotonous in the day to day routine.  From policy changes to impromptu sale set ups; from call outs to surprise visits; from a strong manager giving two weeks’ notice to your boss having a REALLY bad day. This is the ebb and flow of life in retail and something people outside of retail don’t understand. Many times, it all happens in just one day. One 8 hour shift. We are our own bosses, HR managers, custodians and loss prevention directors. What other profession can say the same?

It is a lot of responsibility that comes with a price. The price of feeling over-worked, tired and stressed. It can take a toll on relationships both in the store and at home. Not a good feeling, but with the right type of leadership and guidance, you can have it all. A successful store AND a happy personal life. How? It is all about scheduling, time management and faith in your people.

Are you a store manager that has to call the store on your days off to check in? OR, even worse, show up at the store on your day off?  That is the first place to start in your attempt to create a balance that works. I know it can be extremely difficult to let go. Especially if you are a new store manager, but you have to remember you gave keys to certain people for a reason. That reason needs to be on your mind at all times. You cannot control everything. Your team needs to possess the mindset that you have faith and trust in them to accomplish tasks and run the store without you. Know that if they truly NEED you, they will call you. This is another reason to mentor your teams to be cognizant of the information library that is your management experience. They should have the ability to answer their own questions or if they don’t know, find the answer.

I am not saying that your management team can’t come to you for guidance, that IS your job, but they should be able to handle a customer issue or handle a policy question without you. They should be able to have an impromptu visit and answer store specific questions when asked. That’s why they are in management. Right? That’s why you are in your role, right?

Training is everything. No one deserves to fail because they lack the proper information. You can’t expect a member of your team to know EVERYTHING, but it is your role as the store’s leader to make sure they know where to look and how to approach situations. Since retail is always changing, your team should always be updated. You should include members of your team in visits and walk-thrus. Merchants should be a part of presentation discussions. Operation managers should be a part of loss prevention visits and audits. They all need to understand your pressure and why you schedule the way you do or delegate the things you do. Your store will not be successful if they don’t. The ebb and flow will not be a positive and empowering. It will just become turn over and who needs/wants that?

I have seen many a manager schedule people to get a schedule done with no thought or effort. This is THE BIGGEST MISTAKE a store manager can make and one I will tackle next…

A World

Recently I read the phrase “People support a world they helped create.” I can’t remember where I read it, but it has stuck in my mind ever since. I am sure that it evolves around climate or science, but I have been thinking about it in the context of managing people. It brings up a very important point about teams and tenure. Your employees are more likely to help build a successful store environment if they are involved in decision making, able to share their ideas, and then empowered to act on those ideas.

When it comes to the sharing of ideas it is of vital importance to have an open mind. As a store manager, I always struggled with upper level managers not listening to my ideas. As someone who entered stores with years of experience I always thought that would mean something in recent years, but found more of a “my way or the highway” mentality which always discouraged me, but never forced me to give up. I never wanted to be that manager myself. I took into account the traits of previous managers/mentors of mine that affected me negatively and tried my best to not mirror them. I also adopted the traits that I loved and shared them with any that would listen. Through trial and error, I developed a leadership and management style I could be proud of and eventually pass down to others.

I know stores are mostly run from a home office that is far away from said store, but you, as the store manager, have the power to make a difference not only with your community reputation, but with the people you have chosen to work with as well. Your team. Home office has no power over that. I always had tenured teams. Peers always wanted my advice on how to accomplish that. The truth is I made sure they always knew everything I knew. I never left them out in the cold in regard to information. One person alone cannot handle all the responsibilities of running a store and oftentimes you have to take a back seat and watch your people flourish on their own, making their own decisions in order to grow. Sure, they will make mistakes, but those mistakes are the only way they will learn. It is your job as the leader to encourage it, embrace it and build upon it.

I have talked about delegation to people strengths in the past. Making sure your team is divided into positions that match their skillsets as well as build on their opportunities. This is a crucial step to having tenured strong team’s worth fighting for. This is important in building a business, a brand and a reputation you are proud of. If you are proud, your people will be. If your people are proud, they are invested. If your employees are invested, your store becomes one that shines company wide. If your store shines, there will be recognition and higher expectations that continue to challenge you as a leader. When you are challenged, your team will be challenged. When your team is challenged they grow, they believe and want to share their knowledge with others. The world keeps spinning and empowerment proves prosperous

Missing Piece

You read that right. A missing piece of the store puzzle. It could be a sales associate or a manager. Sometimes a store just needs that one person to make a difference. How do you know what’s missing?

Well, that is an interesting question. Here are some things to think about:

Do you wish there was more time in the day? Are you working more than 8 hours a day just to get tasks done? Are you bringing work home with you?

What if you could have someone to trust in to help you? Sounds like a no brainer, I know, but one of the hardest positions to fill in a store is a sound Assistant Store Manager. This person needs to be able to read your thoughts and be just as strong as you in decision making. It is always hard to find that person that is your right arm, but you can always identify certain strengths in a person and develop them to be the manager you need. We forget that. Training and developing your people should be the most important aspect of your job. Instead of looking outside your store, perhaps there is someone there that you need and just hasn’t had the attention yet or perhaps it is someone who is sitting in a key holder role and may be up to the challenge. You never know until you ask.

Assistant store managers are the glue that holds your store together. They usually don’t get the credit they deserve, but they are a company’s next store manager whether they believe it or not. They are responsible for running the floor and helping to build a strong operational routine. If you don’t have that strong piece as part of your management team, you will never have a successful business. The only issue that sucks with the assistant role is if they are the best at what they do, you will lose them. ASM’s should have your back no matter what. They shouldn’t undermine your vision or management style. If that trust is gone, so should your support of them. They will make your job harder than it needs to be. So that is why this piece is so essential and hard to fill.

I have all my key managers, but I feel they are burning out. What can I do to help support them?

Find key sales associates. It is that simple. I bet you have an anal-retentive stylist on your team that loves organizing. Make that person a key member of your merchandising team. Scheduling people to their abilities is the best thing you can do help your store run like a well-oiled machine. I won’t get too much into scheduling (saving for another time), but if you aren’t taking people’s skillsets into consideration when making the schedule, NO WONDER WHY YOUR TEAM IS STRESSED!

Do you wish you had that community connection? Are you in need of a person that brings customers in? Do you wish you had that perfect employee that represents the spirit of your brand?

That, my friends, is what I call the dream team. Where else would you find that person than your own customer base. Yes, it IS good to recruit and hire your customers. They already love the store because they are regular shoppers. Why not give them a few hours and the discount? You may be surprised as to the connections that person can bring to your stores’ environment. I bring this up because I had the fortune of having several of those dreams in a store and every time they worked, I made my planned sales for the day. Yep. That’s right! A must have for any successful store.

Missing pieces are always going to be on your mind when looking at your teams’ dynamic, but you have the opportunity to put the right pieces together and make your store the best it can be. Never under estimate the power of your imagination and your will to make it work.

No Exit

Have you ever dreamed of an exit, but haven't been able to find one nor had the courage to want to? Why are you staying in a position that is causing you to fantasize of somewhere else? Don't we owe it to ourselves to love what we do? Don't we owe it to ourselves to be surrounded by people who support us, believe in us and most of all challenge us?

“I wish I could just leave.” Said many.

If you can’t do anything to make your job life better then you have the power to leave it behind. 

But first… Ask yourselves these questions:

1. Am I doing everything in my power to be a better employee? Am I empowering those around me to be stronger? Am I invested in the well-being of those I manage?
2. What is making me feel this way? Have I spoken to anyone about my feelings? Are my feelings shared by others around me?
3. What have I done lately to contribute to the environment? Have I developed anyone? Have I exceeded a customer’s expectations? Have I exceeded an employee’s expectations?

I bring this up because it takes a lot to start over somewhere else. It is a job itself to find something new. I have found that many are just not putting forth an effort to make their jobs meaningful. They have grandiose expectations of what they should be doing without the mindset to actually achieve those expectations.

Everyday should be a learning experience, if you aren’t learning something about yourself or those around you, then by all means…find an exit. You aren’t doing anyone any favors by sabotaging their success and you sure aren’t doing yourself any good by not being the best you can be.

I have been there. It is a hard decision to make. You have a million different thought processes going on in your head. To actually come to the conclusion that there is nothing more you can do to mentally be happy in your job environment takes a lot of guts to admit to oneself. I am not talking about living on the offered salary or tired of the work load. I am talking about exhausting EVERY avenue and weighing its consequences on you, your team and the business itself. It is not easy. What you do in the end affects the entire business and YOU have to be ok with that. That is a huge burden to take on and one that you will live with. I think for this reason alone is why people stay in their jobs for so long. If you are feeling the desire to move on go back the questions I posed earlier. It will determine whether or not this decision is right for you.

Only As Strong

One thing I know to be true…you are only as strong as those around you.  Your people compliment you, challenge you and more importantly build the stepping stones to your management and leadership style. When managing stores, this is the only constant I have ever wanted to achieve.

Managing can be chaotic and challenging. 

• Why has it been so hard to attract the talent needed to achieve this team dynamic?
• Why is it so hard to fathom the training justifications behind this concept?
• Are managers afraid to find candidates that challenge them? 
• Are managers under too much pressure to fill roles? 
• Are managers putting too much time constraints on training opportunities?

Just a few questions I wish I could answer, but honestly, it isn’t up to me to determine the why’s, only how I did it. It wasn’t an overnight thing. It took a long time for me to trust myself and my ego. Will they turn out better than me? Get promoted faster? Get recognized by people you only dream of noticing you? Ego. Time to get it over it if you want a successful store.

Know what you are missing on your team. I wrote before of the trifecta. The perfect balance of skillset and the beginning of bench strength. You need these things in your stores to be productive. When you realize what’s missing, you need to go out there and find the missing pieces, train them and develop them. Find your you. Find the ones that may have more experience, but lacked a mentor. Find someone who is the opposite of you and learn from their mindset. The point is to not be afraid. Don’t feel rushed. Upper level management may pressure you to find a candidate, but remember, it’s your store. Only you know what works and what doesn’t work.

I have made that mistake before. I relied on upper level management to dictate my needs and the result was a disaster. Never again. I was playing politics and it nearly destroyed my management style and my management team. You also have to remember training takes time. Everyone is different. Sometimes people’s learning abilities are harder to develop. You need to learn patience and self-control. You can’t force people to master what you already know in a short period of time. It is up to you as a manager to determine how to best manage this important time. Remember to look around you. Who is best at ABC? An operations specialist shouldn’t train a new hire on merchandising. A short-tempered key holder should not train anyone on how to use the registers. Someone who processes shipment probably isn’t the best person to train on fitting room selling. I know that this all seems straight forward, but store managers work with what they have. Who is working when. The schedule says… so they do.

This is a failure in utilizing your people’s skills and abilities. It gets you nowhere and takes a toll on your teams’ character and most of all your reputation as a leader. Remember, you are only as strong as those around you. If they aren’t being empowered to grow, you might as well find something else to do. You will experience a turn style of lack luster employees and spend most of your time interviewing prospects instead of developing your teams. You will be fighting a never-ending battle of personalities and time wasters. Don’t fall into that hole. Take the time to find the missing pieces of your vision.