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.

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.