Retail Contrarian

Are you an And or a But leader?

One of the points I teach in our Extraordinary Coaching program is that leaders often inadvertently mitigate the praise they give their staff.  It usually happens by linking criticism (which we call instructive feedback) to the praise with the word "but."

"Nice job on the sale, but you should have showed him the matching widget."

"That was a great event, but you came in over budget."

"Those products were a great buy, but we need to make more margin."

I like to tell people to keep their "but" out of their feedback and use the word "and" instead. 

Look at how the praise remains positive when "and" is used instead of "but."

"Nice job on the sale, and next time show him the matching widget."

"That was a great event, and hopefully we can make the budget work."

"Those products were a great buy, and going forward we need to get the margin up."

I've also come to see how some leaders demotivate people with "but" even when it isn't linked to praise.  More often than not it's the result of the leader redirecting the conversation because of a different perspective.

Here's an example of what could take place on a district conference call:

Store manager: "We had a strong weekend and finished the week at 110% of goal."

District manager: "Yes, but your ADS was down over $10."

In this example I doubt the DM is even aware the impact her "but" had.  Here's a manager who is justifiably proud of her results, but the DM is looking at the possibility of missed opportunities with average daily sale being down.

I've also met and worked with many "But" leaders who constantly do this with his/her staff.  If it is a pattern, it's usually because of some need to be right, or maybe his/her glass is always half-empty.  Whatever the reason, the result is demotivated people.

Again, most leaders mistakenly use "but" to redirect, and just like praise all they need to do is replace "but" with "and."

Store manager: "We had a strong weekend and finished the week at 110% of goal."

District manager: "Great, and maybe we could look at why your ADS was down over $10."

Again, compare these two:

Employee: "It wasn't easy but I finally got her to buy two of the widgets."

Manager: "But why didn't she buy a third widget?"

Now compare the subtle but important difference using "and"

Manager: "And why didn't she buy a third widget?"

Here's my challenge for you.  For the next few days listen to how often you use the word "but" with your staff when the word "and" might have been more effective. 

If you discover you're more of a But person than you knew, you can begin to get your "but" out of the conversations with your team and start on your way to becoming an And leader.

By the way, the same approach works for parenting.

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.

How to build a more effective team

The quality of your employee's work experience has a direct impact on the quality of your customer's experience.  Give me five minutes shopping in a store and I can usually tell you how the staff feels about working there.

One of the key drivers of the employee experience is how the staff feels about their colleagues. That's why teamwork at the store level is such a vital component of a store's success.  When a staff works well together and feels proud to be part of the team, and is lead by a customer-focused leader, the quality of both the employee and customer experience is superior to that of a weaker team.

The key to effective teamwork is leadership.  It's leadership that makes teamwork an expectation.  It's leadership that holds people accountable to contribute to the betterment of the team.  It's leadership that is able to take a group of individuals and make them one.

To that end, here are four actions that will create a more effective team.  You'll see that the list doesn't include a ropes course, walking over hot coals, or any other popular "team building" activities.  It's the day-to-day actions we take that truly determine a team's success.

1. Stop drama in its place.  Nothing tears apart a team more quickly - or more quietly - than drama. If people are complaining about someone, address it immediately. If two people aren't getting along, sit them down together and put a stop to it.  I find two words are very effective for dealing with drama: STOP IT.

2. Regularly communicate your assessment of your team's teamwork.  Share what you see are the strengths and areas of improvement needed in teamwork.  The more you talk about your teamwork, the better it will be.

3. Don't enable poor performance and unacceptable behavior.  Teams begin to splinter when the majority feels that one or more individuals aren't contributing to the team.  Most employees can look past someone who is struggling in their role.  What they can't accept is when those employees are allowed to continue to underperform, or act in a way that negatively impacts the others.

Of course you obviously can't discuss how you're working with/coaching one employee with the rest of the team, the team should be able to see that you're working with that person to create a stronger and more effective team.

4. Recognize and celebrate effective teamwork, behaviors, and results.  It's important to not only encourage teamwork from your staff, but to recognize and celebrate it when you see it.  Just as we coach individuals, be sure to call out the behaviors and actions you saw and heard that created the effective teamwork. Sometimes leaders label a successful day as "good teamwork" without being specific about why the teamwork was good, but the more we recognize positive behaviors and actions the more likely they are to be repeated.

So let me ask, how are you doing in building a more effective team?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.

Inspiring retail leadership

I recently asked a client's store directors for examples of how they inspired an employee or their staff in the past week.  Not to be clichéd, but they inspired me with their responses.
 
I'd love to share all of their examples, but since that would be a very long post I'll limit myself to three.  These three really stood out to me because they are such great examples of action and not just talk.
 
This first one, from Anitra, I think is absolutely brilliant.  Her store needed some big days to bring in their month, and it was vital that her team believed they could actually sell that much.
 
The first thing Anitra did was to ask an employee who had just had a huge sales day herself to help her in getting the team to believe they could do it.  It's one thing to cheer people on.  It's another when an employee can say to her colleagues, "I did it, and you can, too."
 
Anitra also posted a big note in the back room saying that she believed the team could achieve these stretch goals.  Then she wrote down two strengths of each employee who was working that day to show why she believed each person could be successful.
 
LOVE IT!
 
Putting each employee's strengths up in big bold letters did a few things.  First and foremost it showed that she believed the team had the skills to reach their stretch goals. Anitra wasn't just being a cheerleader.  She linked the staff's abilities to the goals, and that gave them confidence.
 
Secondly, it kept the staff's strengths front and center for the day.  They not only remained focused on what they could do, but they also leveraged each other's strengths throughout the day.
  
Last but not least, seeing their strengths written down for their peers to see gave each individual a sense of pride and made them believe in themselves.
 
I'd file this idea away to use on that last weekend before Christmas or some other big day. What an inspiring idea.
 
Another favorite was from Jusdean.
 
Jusdean was talking with a staff member about calling customers about a promotion at the store.  The employee said that she thinks calling the customer is too pushy.  Jusdean suggested that it isn't pushy since the customer willingly shared his/her phone number and contact information.
 
At this point I think many managers would have just encouraged their employee to go make the calls.  Jusdean knew it was important that not only does an employee need to hear that it's okay to call a customer, she needs to believe it and know how to do it.
 
Jusdean asked the employee to shadow her as she made a call with the customer.  Just as important, she told the employee her techniques BEFORE she made the call so the employee could watch and listen for them.
 
Jusdean made sure the employee saw that she tried to act like the customer was right in front of her in the store, not like she was making a telemarketing call.  She also told the employee to listen for the way she presented the promotion to the customer with energy and enthusiasm.
 
After the call, the employee felt more confident and was able to make the rest of calls without apprehension.  Jusdean also noticed that the employee was even more confident talking about the promotions with the customers in the store.
 
What I love about this example is that Jusdean made the time to show someone how to do something she wasn't comfortable doing.  It can be challenging for a manager to slow down and teach instead of tell, but it's these teachable moments that allow employees to grow and develop.
 
Here's a similar example of inspiring people by leading by example.
 
So many managers talk about their staff having and using clientele books, but how many have and use them themselves?  Sue, another of my client's directors, inspired her team by making eight sales in one day simply by contacting the customers from her client book.
 
Not only were the employees working that morning impressed, but as the night shift came in Sue's eight sales from the book were the talk of the day.
 
Again, anyone can try to inspire with words, but it's actions and results that make the biggest impression and deliver the most inspiration.
 
Thank you Anitra, Jusdean, Sue, and the other executives, owners, and managers who inspire me every week. You are truly extraordinary!
 
So let me ask, how will you inspire your team this week?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results.

Failing forward

A while ago a colleague and I worked together on what we both believed was a great opportunity. After a lot of hard work, especially on my colleague's part, the project turned out to be a bust. Failure is never fun.  As matter of fact, it stinks.  And while I was disappointed with the outcome I'm also glad I had the opportunity to fail.

Does that sound strange?  Not if I see that as a result of this project I got to learn from both my colleague and a wonderful woman who works with him.  I got the chance to refine some of the experience concepts I've been working with for years, and as a result my work will be better than before. Yes, our project failed but I know that in the long run we'll both benefit. Call it failing forward.

Some failure is actually good because it means you're trying new things. If you never fail it means you're either stuck doing the same old thing, which is never good for business, or your name is Midas.

Failures are only good if you learn from them and adapt your business going forward. Unfortunately, so many people fail backwards. After trying something new and failing they quit trying new things that might improve their business.  As a result, they lose ground in their industry and their market.

I've seen retailers institute a new way to engage and sell customers only to fall back on their old ways if the new initiative doesn't create immediate results.  Those retailers would be much better off if they gave the new way a fair chance.  If it doesn't work, fail forward.  Look for how to adjust and improve the approach.

When an event doesn't result in the expected traffic or sales some retailers take that to mean that events don't work for them.  Maybe that particular event didn't work but it doesn't mean they should fail backwards and quit doing events altogether. Try failing forward and brainstorm three to five things to do differently next time.

It's absolutely true that my colleague and I believed that our project was worthwhile.  It's also absolutely true that I would have appreciated earning what we had hoped on the project, but now I'm looking forward to earning on what I learned by failing forward.  And the only way to get an ROI on failing forward is to learn from it and take action.

So let me ask, are you failing forward or backwards? Even worse, are you not failing at all?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies to improve their on-floor and management performance. Vist our website or call him at 866-535-6331 to discuss improving your company's customer experience and results.

Five ways to instill passion in your team

There is no doubt that passionate employees deliver a better experience and create more sales than employees who aren't.  Can you, as a leader, instill passion in others?
 
We'll define passion as "a strong fondness, enthusiasm or desire."  Obviously, you're not going to instill passion in someone who hates his/her job but as long as an employee is a good hire I believe a leader can instill passion.  Not only can you, it's a key requirement of being a leader.
 
Here are five ways you can instill passion in your team this week:
 
1. Focus on what you can control.  You may be a leader in your business but you don't control the weather, the economy, nuclear power plant leaks, crazy world leaders, or the outcome of the NFL talks.  If I'm wrong, please introduce yourself.
 
Passion begins by feeling empowered and knowing you have the opportunity to be successful. When leaders focus on what they cannot control the staff slowly takes on a "why bother" attitude.  When the focus is on what employees can control, they are much more likely to be excited about the opportunities that are presented.
 
2. Avoid negativity, but don't be Pollyannaish.  Employees want to feel good about their work and their day. While most leaders are naturally positive, there are some who inadvertently put a dark cloud over their store.  I can tell how positive a leader is without even meeting them just by meeting with their team.
 
The more leaders focus on the positive aspects of people the more passion the employees will have.  It doesn't mean you don't point out when things go wrong or what a person can do better, but it's not positioned as a negative. Compare asking an employee "Why did your sales stink yesterday?" with "In spite of your efforts I see yesterday's sales fell short. Why do you think that happened?"
 
3. Praise employee efforts and recognize successful results. Never, ever, underestimate the impact of saying "great job" and "thank you."  It's the fuel that feeds most people's passion.
 
Most of us don't praise as much as we think.  Your employees aren't mind readers.  If you're not praising out loud or in writing, your employees aren't receiving it.  The higher you are in a company the more difficult it is to discover the opportunities to praise, but that praise also creates the most passion in people. There is a small minority of leaders that overpraise.  Believe me, the staff knows it's not authentic and it has the opposite effect.  Stop it.
 
4. Keep raising the bar.  Complacency is a passion killer.  Boredom can drive talented, and potentially talented, employees to mediocrity.  Expecting people to be little bit better every day keeps the staff fresh, challenged, and will result in more success. That in itself creates even more passion and enthusiasm.
 
5. Be consistent.  Most passion comes about when an employee's personal values align with organizational values. If the organizational, or at least manager's/owner's, values change the employee's passion is lost.
 
While priorities may change based upon the needs of the business, key areas of focus such as customer experience, customer satisfaction, and making sales should remain constant. The more consistent you are about what's important, the more likely your employees will embrace and be passionate about those very elements.
 
So let me ask, how well are you instilling passion in your team?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies to improve their on-floor and management performance. Vist our website or call him at 866-535-6331 to discuss improving your company's customer experience and results.

Are passion and energy requirements for the job?

Is having passion and energy a requirement to be a manager?

If you're answering the question out loud I can't hear you, so let me take the liberty of debating both sides of this question.

Yes, passion is a "must" for a member of management. The energy level and enthusiasm employees have for the products and the customers almost always mirrors that of the leaders.

How can a company ask employees to passionately engage customers and create sales if the manager doesn't demonstrate the same behavior? One could argue that leaders must be even more demonstrative than the staff. Even in owner-operated businesses a manager's passion, or lack thereof, directly impacts the team. Passion must be a job requirement.

Now the other side of the coin...

Absolutely not. There is no way you can hold people accountable for passion. What does passion look like? How can you look at person and say they're passionate or not? How are you going to interview for it? How you going to measure it? Do you actually have a "passion" section on the manager's job description and performance review? I doubt it.

We always talk about the importance of passion in leaders, but I wouldn't even know how to coach someone to be more passionate. And is passion a real indicator of true performance? I've seen a number of managers who are passionate about their job but it didn't make one bit of difference in the end results. And isn't that what really matters?

So what do you think? Which side are you on?

I believe both sides are correct. A leader's passion and energy is vital to a store or company's success. At the same time, passion is a quality that really can't be measured. If you can't easily define and measure passion, you can't say it's a requirement.

What you can expect of a manager is that he/she (and that manager's team) demonstrates specific behaviors and actions with every customer. You can define the expected behaviors and actions. You can expect them. You can see them. You can measure them. They either happen or they don't.

That said, I'm convinced that the manager's passion and energy level will determine whether the team wants to do what's expected of them, and if they actually do it. A high performance team starts with a high performance manager.

So yes and no, passion and energy is a requirement to be a successful manager. Aren't you glad I cleared that up?

Here is the key takeaway. I want to hire and promote people I believe have the passion and energy to be great leaders, and what I expect - and reward them for - is their team's ability to deliver what's expected of them. Believe me, they do go hand-in-hand.

So let me ask, do you have the passion and energy necessary to be a great leader?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies to improve their on-floor and management performance. Vist our website or call him at 866-535-6331 to discuss improving your company's experience and results.

Six Attributes of Leadership

There are many attributes that extraordinary leaders have that good managers don't. Here are six that come to mind.
 
1. They don't have to have the answer.  Early in my management career I thought that being in charge meant I had to have all of the answers to any issue or problem that arose. I learned over time that it's my role as a leader to ensure issues and problems are solved, but that by no means do solutions have to come from me.  Most of the time the solution to a problem should come from those closest to the problem itself.
 
2. They seek out other viewpoints even if they differ from their own.  Life is a lot easier if everyone around you, especially your employees, agrees with your ideas and opinions.  However, you're not always right, and sometimes other people's ideas and opinions create an even better result then would have been reached if the matter had been left up to you.  One of the most powerful questions a leader can ask is, "What do you think?"  It's even more effective when you ask before you share your own opinion.
 
3. They're always teaching. Managers usually tell but will teach when they have to. Leaders usually teach but tell when they have to.  Nothing develops an employee faster and makes a greater impact than leaders taking advantage of teachable moments.  There are many teachable moments in a day but we're usually too busy to see them and way too busy to take advantage of them.  Teachable moments take more time but the return on investment is huge. Never miss the chance to invest wisely.
 
4. They repeat themselves.  A lot.  Imagine if your parents had only told you once to wash your hands before eating.  Repetition is not only a key element of learning, it helps position those things that are most important to your success.  If the customer experience is vital to your business then you can't afford to only talk about it once a year at a company meeting.  It's a vitally important subject that needs to be brought up again and again.
 
5. They constantly give employees direct and constructive feedback.  I estimate that somewhere around 20% of all managers are really good at giving employees direct and constructive feedback, but that 80% of managers think they are.  When companies reduce that performance gap in their managers they're able to improve employee productivity and the overall working environment. I recommend you read the article at the end of this Daily if you're in the 80% and not the 20%
 
6. They encourage the heart.  Employees are more committed to the company and the customer when they know their efforts are recognized and appreciated by their manager and others in the company. It's amazing how much mileage a leader gets out of saying things like "thank you,"  "great job," "we appreciate you," "thanks for working here," etc.  I know I've written about these last two over and over - but that just proves point #4.
 
So let me ask, are you displaying these extraordinary leadership attributes?