Harsh truth: I score low on empathy
7 days ago • 2 min readPhoto by Brandon Martinelli on Unsplash Hey Retail Leader, Have you heard of the book The Attributes by Rich Diviney? I'm a fan. Diviney is a leadership expert and former Navy SEAL. After he was a SEAL, he had the very hard job of deciding which candidates made it through training to become part of the Navy SEAL Team. He and his colleagues came up with a list of attributes. There are 41. We all possess all the attributes, but we are inherently better in some categories than in others. The big...
READ POSTExcellent leaders say no to their bosses
21 days ago • 1 min readHey Retail Leader, With the few moments I have you here today, I want to champion your expertise. You spend more time in your store than your DM or RM. You know your people better than they do. You know your customers better than they do. It's okay to say no sometimes. It may sound scary. It may sound wild. But this is what excellent leaders do. They question. They assess. Instead of saying yes right away, they analyze and then come back with a better plan for their building. It can be small...
READ POSTShould you apply for that promotion?
about 1 month ago • 2 min readPhoto by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash Hiya, You’re getting this newsletter a day early! I want to invite you to my Substack LIVE with Steve Worthy today. This is not your usual LIVE event. We'll be talking about our retail origin stories and our best & worst times. If you can join us in real time, you can ask us any questions. The chat is always open, and we go through and answer questions as we go. Hope to see you there Substack LIVE 10:00 am PST/ 1:00 pm EST Let's Go! On with today's Field...
READ POSTMake this list for your store today
about 2 months ago • 2 min readHey Leader, There is rarely downtime on a retail sales floor. When we get that moment to breathe, we should take it. Stretch. Grab some water, and then take advantage of the break in customers. Here's how to equip your team to be resourceful and ensure you're able to push more off your plate. Make this list: Things to do when there is nothing to do. This list will be different for every store. It may be different for every department. But being resourceful, productive, and making great use of...
READ POSTYour Monday survival blueprint
2 months ago • 3 min readHey Leader, Mondays are complex when you run a store. I know you know. We often work all weekend, and then we have to go into our Mondays dog-tired. We sort out the next week while we're exhausted from the week we just finished. When you're tired and looking forward to your next day off, it can be challenging to get everything done on that Monday to set your team up for the week ahead. Here's how I did it. Every Monday, I would open. I would schedule strong sales associates or lead associates...
READ POSTHave the worst week ever?
2 months ago • 2 min readHey Leader, I recently had a bad week. I wanted to share it with you in case you've had a bad week, too. I was stressed, exhausted, and nothing was going right. I was trying to do too many things; I was trying to move, work, and socialize with no breaks. "I'm fine," I thought. "No problemo." But then I kept effing up. Little things, but out of the norm for me. Then I got scammed. Well, it turned out not to be a scam, but I was so sure at first that I canceled my credit card and froze my...
READ POSTHow to see the good
3 months ago • 2 min readHey Leader, As we progress in our careers, we get really good at seeing the small things that are wrong in our stores. Mannequin not layered. Wrong hanger used. Incorrect markdown sticker. It can be so easy to walk in and start rattling off all the misses. All while your leadership team is standing there with their eyes to the floor, just wishing you'd point out something good. So, let's step back. How do we coach without crushing spirits? Here's what I would do when visiting stores. You can...
READ POST