Hire Right, Train Right, and Treat Them Right: Proven Strategies for Retail Leaders
Great teams aren’t built by chance. They’re crafted with intention, patience, and care. Whether you’re leading a single store or an entire district, the success of your business hinges on how you bring people on board, how you prepare them, and how you treat them once they’re part of your team. Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations at Disney, has said, “Take care of your people, and they will take care of your business.”
In today’s fast-paced retail environment, hiring the right people, providing proper training, and showing genuine care can mean the difference between thriving and struggling. The cycle of hiring, onboarding, and developing employees is especially critical in retail, where turnover is high and tenure is difficult to maintain. How you hire, train, and treat your team will determine whether you achieve lasting success or face ongoing challenges. Let’s explore each of these to see how you can make a difference for your business.
Hiring right
Imagine needing to hire thousands of employees regularly, Disney does just that, with around 80,000 employees at Disney World alone. Lee Cockerell emphasizes hiring for attitude over skill, which is easier said than done. In retail, experience can seem vital, but a positive attitude is essential. Someone who smiles and warmly greets customers is far more valuable than just speed and accuracy.
Hiring for cultural fit ensures a more productive team. Involve current team members to assess candidates’ fit. The wrong hire, even if technically qualified, will likely lead to turnover across the team and more issues down the line.
Hiring right takes time, so always be on the lookout for great talent. Rushed hiring leads to costly mistakes. Invest upfront to find the right people, and it will pay off in the long term.
Training them right
Training requires more investment than most people admit. How you onboard new hires sets the tone for their success. It’s tempting to rush this step, but doing so often leads to confusion and mistakes. Resist the urge to hurry. Taking the time to let new hires immerse themselves in the business is the real investment, even for seemingly simple roles like part-time stocking.
Training doesn’t end with onboarding; it’s a continuous process. Once the basics are covered, training becomes about development, giving team members the tools to master their roles. Effective coaching, feedback, and leading by example are key to helping your team reach higher levels of skill. Think about the last time you observed and coached a team member with positive reinforcement, how did that make them feel? How did it make you feel?
Training is not something you did; it’s something you do. It needs to be constant, evolving, and embedded in the culture of your organization. — Lee Cockerell
Treating them right
You have invested in hiring and training; now you need to retain those employees. Treating your team right is key to building a team that wants to be there every day. We often hear, “People don’t leave companies, they leave managers.” This is mostly true. Most people who leave jobs cite issues related to leadership. Even if they have complaints about the company, they will often stay if their leader keeps them engaged and motivated.
Recognition is a simple but powerful way to treat your team well. Regular recognition and genuine thanks go a long way. Respecting their lives outside of work is also essential. Fair scheduling, good communication, and encouragement build a strong foundation. Listening to their voices and valuing their input can make all the difference. Treating your team well requires little cost but can have the biggest impact when done right.
Recognition is so simple, but most leaders don’t do it enough. A simple thank you can go a long way in making people feel valued and appreciated. — Lee Cockerell
This is a great an example of doing simple things that go a long way. I have seen teams adopt something like ‘Thank You Thursday’ where they take time to exchange gratitude and genuine thanks to teammates for how they helped them (or the store) over the past week. Ritz-Carlton does something similar too; you can read about that here.
We all know there is no silver bullet list of things that will make retail great. Leading a successful team isn’t about magic, it’s about choosing to invest in people every day. Hire those who will thrive in your culture, invest the time to train them well, and treat them with genuine respect and appreciation. These elements are essential for leading a high-achieving team. Though none are easy, mastering them will set you on the path to lasting rewards.
What will you do today to take your leadership to the next level and bring out the best in your team?
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