Management tips for retail leaders

Retail leadership isn’t just about how you treat your staff or work the floor. It’s also about who you are and how you conduct yourself.

Here are some of the common traits that high-performing storeowners, managers and leaders share. Do you see yourself?

1. They’re always out front. They don’t push their team—they lead them. They are not above running the vacuum or cleaning windows. Most important, they unfailingly meet whatever action is required of the staff in their interactions with customers.

2. They appreciate and respect their employees. They have a real desire to see people on their team succeed. They know their employees’ dreams and goals and do what they can to help them achieve them. They don’t lose sight of the fact that employees have a life outside of the store; they do what they can to help people balance work and life.

3. They always do what they say they will do. They understand that the most important thing they have to offer anyone is their word. If they tell a staff member they will check on something, they do it.

4. They know that their position gives them privileges but they never take advantage. They work at least one night a week because they ask others to work nights. They work an occasional Sunday because others work on Sunday. They work in the backroom when it is slow on the floor and there is work that needs to be done.

5. They keep confidences. What is said behind a closed door stays behind that door. They never gossip. They know what should and shouldn’t be shared with others. This is actually the Achilles heel of many managers.

6. They love what they do. I have never, ever, met a high-performing manager who doesn’t love what he or she does. They would probably be successful in whatever they chose to do, but they love retail and people.

7. Publicly they always support the company direction, even if they have initially disagreed with it. They take the time to explain to their staff the “why” behind decisions. They say “we” and “us.” They roll out both popular and unpopular company directives with the same enthusiasm. What I most respect about these managers is that in their stores they don’t just represent the company—they are the company.

So let me ask, are you a leader?

This article was written by Doug Fleener, author of The Profitable Retailer and president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group (www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com), a nationally known retail and customer experience consultancy company.