It's Review Time. Oh Yay!

My Leadership Field Guide book will be out this year! I'll tell you how I set up my stores for success and created a community that kept people coming back.?

Be the first in line to get your copy - sign up?right here.

February and March are typical review months in retail.

We write our self-assessments and then dig into the reviews for our leaders.

Yearly evaluations can be a blessing and a curse.?

Feedback is essential, but you feel like you need more time to write it. Shipment is ramping up, but Spring traffic has yet to move into the fast lane. Floor coverage may still be light.

You feel like you're about to get a breather after inventory, but you're not. You have reviews to write.

Carve out a few hours off the floor and write your self-evaluation and leader's reviews. Start writing early so you can update if needed.

Here are my best practices.

The Self Evaluation

Take your time. Think back over the past year.?

• Who did you hire that was awesome?
• Who did you promote?
• Who did you develop?
• Did you work on any stretch assignments?
• Did you lead meetings??
• Did you take a risk, and it worked??
• Did it not work??
• What did you learn?

Steer clear of sentences that begin with "I think." We know "you think" you're writing it. Stick to declarative statements.

• "I'm a resource for the district."
• "I lead from the front."
• "All hiring goals were met."
• "Conflict makes me uncomfortable. I want to get better at having coaching conversations."

Write it and then revisit it. You can add to it or change it a little. Just start. The beginning is the hardest part.?

Once you get going and start reflecting, you can power through.?

Review Your Leaders

Your leaders should get evaluations similarly to how you write your self-eval. Statements should be declarative and not revolve around feelings.?

Stick to facts.

"Allegra is punctual."

"David learns and implements quickly."

"Amanda does not follow through with delivering corrective action."

Set Clear Goals for 2023

Ensure all your leaders know what the store goals are for the year. Write them on a whiteboard in the office. You're?way more likely?to meet those goals when everyone knows what they are.

Additionally, each leader should also have personal goals - three is a good number.

None of this should be a surprise.

When you sit down to deliver these reviews, remember that what you're telling your leaders should not be a surprise. At the end of every review, I would ask - "Was any of this a surprise, or was it what you thought it would be?"?

They would usually say it wasn't a surprise or it was better than they thought - (evaluations can be scary, and people can be hard on themselves).

Conversations about development should be happening regularly. When you tell Amanda that she hasn't followed through with delivering corrective action, she should nod and say, "Yes, I know. That's true."

No review should leave the employee blindsided.?

I've been blindsided in a review - more than once - and it is beyond confusing. It's a sucky feeling.

Take the time to write a killer self-evaluation. This is the time to tell your boss how great you are and discuss what you want to learn/contribute.

Be thoughtful with the reviews for your team. Show them where they shine.

At the end of the review period, teams can feel refreshed. A yearly check-in is beneficial for both people.

Good luck out there. I see you. You're all doing fantastic.

Hey, I’m Kit. I spent 20 years leading retail teams and I now write about retail, Web3, leadership, and entrepreneurship.?

My Leadership Field Guide book will be out this year! I'll tell you how I set up my stores for success and created a community that kept people coming back.?

Be the first in line to get your copy - sign up?right here. ??