Management tips that actually work in retail... and elsewhere

Strangely enough, team management is rarely taught, either in business schools, or within companies where, if you are lucky enough, you attend the occasional 2-day training (not guaranteed). In retail the field is king, so a manager will often refine his or her skills on the floor, through trial and error.

Based on my own experience and various readings, here are the 9 tips that actually work and are not only theoretical. They can save time and energy to any new manager in retail.

1. Share your vision again and again, with passion. What do you believe in? If you think your success will come from top notch customer service or from a high level of product knowledge in your team, or both, make sure it is clear for everyone. You can even craft a mission statement with the team, and hang it on the wall. They will be proud to be part of an exciting project, it will give purpose to their job.
2. Be true to your values. It is not always easy depending on the organization, but walking the walk and talking the talk is paramount. It gives you credibility, it reassures your team and it is a component of what is called charisma where communication and values are aligned. There will always be treasons, deceptions, diverging interests. If your values are healthy, based on trust, kindness and integrity, at least you have shown the path, you have set a standard.
3. Be transparent and empower your people. Give them access to data, statistics, business performance. The most committed and driven will naturally use them to improve their skills, the other will understand that your management is based on facts, not on feelings. There is always a certain level of confidentiality but transparency becomes a key value in business. Don't think your power is in information retention, on the contrary it is in your capacity to develop people by giving them the right information at the right time.
4. Communicate regularly, with everyone. Unspoken words, misinterpretations can be a team-killer. Regular team meetings (from morning briefs to monthly meetings) and one-on-ones (weekly) are the best communication tools a manager possesses. One-on-ones are preferably led by the employee, refrain from talking and listen openly, it is a great way to forge a trustful relationship. Although we have our preferences among our team, try not to make them obvious or it will create insecurity and negativity.
5. Make it a game and have fun! Running a boutique is like a game: you want to hit your goals, beat the competition in your mall, in your street, within your brand network. Use every opportunity to make it fun: offer the best associate selling a particular model a voucher, transform your training sessions in team battle quizzes, etc. People just want to have fun (not only girls!)
6. Give regular feedbacks. If you want to grow your team you will have to give them positive feedback, which is fundamental to build self-confidence (essential in sales). Always start a feedback session with the positive, our tendency is to jump on critics, I have observed this often in training. Improvement feedbacks are more delicate but they are an effective way to grow your team skills. Regular feedbacks are definitely the mark of the best managers, contrary to those who wait for the year-end review to liberate their frustration in a dramatic way, and give a 10-item list of things that didn't work. In a controlled regular feedback, the message is "how can you do differently next time in order to progress?". It's very powerful to recognize that a mistake or a below-average performance is ok as long as the person is on an improvement path.
7. Check your wording. It is amazing how powerful words are. They can start wars! As a young manager I was not attentive enough to the words I used and I got roasted. I learned and improved. Use positive words, be polite and respectful, ask questions to get others' inputs, don't be a know-it-all.
8. Highlight successes. I have mentioned it already in a previous article, but this is one of the most powerful management tools I have experienced, especially when you want to implement changes in your business. Congratulating someone for his/her sales improvement because he or she used a new clienteling tool will have a lasting impact on others. Ideally pick different team members on different topics.
9. Celebrate generously. Invite your team for a drink to celebrate a great sales month, offer them personal gifts when they have achieved something remarkable. The moments you create will build the team spirit and will last a long time in the collective mind.

When you were made a leader you weren't given a crown, you were given the responsibility to bring out the best in others.

Jack Welch

Those are my 9 tips, the principles by which I manage and that I experienced in real life. I made mistakes, I also had great satisfactions, seeing people in boutiques or at HQ develop and perform under my leadership. Do not hesitate to share your experiences in the comments, and contact me if you wish to share views or ask questions on this topic.