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….

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.