4 Things Some Store Managers Do That Limit Their Potential
On any given day, every retail store manager faces multiple challenges. From dealing with associate issues, scheduling complications, and the occasional customer complaint, they can eat away at our time to truly lead our teams. Further, the day to day tasks that are assigned or assumed by store manager only adds to the obstacles that can become blockages to reaching their full potential.Here are four common areas that can get lost in the shuffle of the every day that store leaders need to work to overcome to ensure their potential is not limited.
Not training their team
Training is one of those areas that is talked about more than it is acted upon, especially to its fullest. Training is an area that frequently is requested by all levels of leaders within any organization, and even when made available is somehow underutilized. The most common barrier...time. In my opinion, training is as much a belief as it is an activity. What I mean by that is you have to make it more important than everything else at some point.If you do not prioritize training up front, then newly hired associates will struggle, underperform, or leave. All of those outcomes have a significant negative impact on the business. Even when payroll is tight, investing time in training your team will pay off in the long run. Look for opportunities to borrow some time from other tasks and activities to give your team time to train up front before they fall into one of the areas I mentioned above.
Not hiring people who can become your replacement
Hiring new associates or leaders is another area that can have a profound effect on how you and your business grow. Hiring is about finding the right fit for your team. It is about finding people with the potential to do great things. The two most common mistakes in hiring sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first is holding out for the perfect associate. Every retailer faces payroll challenges, and many managers believe they have to find the exact candidate that will magically solve all of their issues. They interview and interview, yet can’t seem to find that perfect match. The opening lingers, the burden of being short-handed takes its toll, and in many cases, the pendulum then switches to the exact opposite. Desperation sets in, and we then hire the first person that can fill the role to reduce the burden. You probably can write the rest of that outcome.Interviewing and selection is always a balance, but I can tell you from experience: the perfect candidate will never walk into your door looking for the position you happen to have available. The best leaders know they need to seek potential, long-term potential. That may mean selecting someone new to the industry, or just getting started in their career overall. But, ultimately, what you are looking for is someone that can be your replacement in time. Whether you are hiring for a front line associate or your assistant manager, select someone you know that investing in will pay for itself in the support they provide in all aspects of the business.Perhaps the biggest concern that can come from this thought process is the risk in hiring someone that can be not only your replacement but better than yourself. While difficult to imagine, that is a real sign of top-level leadership. It is being confident enough in yourself to hire someone and know that their skills will likely outpace your own shows real maturity in your leadership and will be recognized. It is a win-win situation.
Not spending enough time developing yourself
If there is not enough time to train others, how could there possibly be time to train yourself? Development is intentional; you have to make the time for it. This may not always be possible during your work hours, so investing your personal time in your development will pay for itself in the long run. Build a specific plan for your development and then work it. It does not have to be a lot of time, but be specific about that time. I have covered several ideas on how you can develop yourself in previous articles.
Not visiting other stores
This one may seem a little strange, but I am a firm believer in it. Get out of your own store and see other ideas. I don’t just mean other stores from your same company, although that is an excellent idea as well. I would recommend visiting competitors, similar retailers, or some brands that are commonly recognized for their innovation, service, or experience.Getting into other stores can be a great way to let your mind wander on what could be possible in your own store. Don’t visit it to judge, instead, visit to learn. What are the things you notice that are working well? How do they engage customers? What are the small things you can see that they do well? How could you apply that thinking to your store?This can not only be valuable to see physical aspects of other stores, but it can be a way of challenging your thinking to understand how other retailers are doing the things they are doing in a largely similar (industry) environment. This exercise can also be developmental. Take a notebook with you, and make time to write down what you observed. Capture your thoughts on why you believe they are doing what they are doing. Finally, spend some time making notes on how you could achieve the same sorts of outcomes in your store with your team.By the way - this exercise is also an excellent opportunity to observe associates in action and potentially recruit that next great hire for your team.Hopefully, you can see how some of these common mistakes can easily find their way into any Store Manager’s routine. Becoming aware of them is the first step in overcoming them. Take some time to think about these and how they may be impacting you. Start by selecting one area that you want to address, build a plan on how you can work against it, then take action. A simple stop into a couple of the stores in the same shopping area, listening to a new podcast, or setting aside fifteen minutes for a training session can be the first step to overcoming the tunnel vision you may have on your own environment.Have you found yourself facing any of the challenges discussed here? How did you begin to overcome them?Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.Photo by Brandon Green on Unsplash