To be an effective retail leader you must be able to juggle any number of things at once. To be an effective retail leader in the holidays you have to be able to juggle twice as much with one arm behind your back while jumping up and down on one leg with a big smile on your face and saying, “Ho, Ho, Ho.” Or maybe it just feels that way.
With all that going on, here are two things you absolutely must not forget this holiday:
1. It takes a happy staff to have happy customers, and happy customers spend a lot more money. We all know this to be true. In order to have a great holiday, we have to make sure “happy employees” is a daily outcome and not just a goal.
I was talking the other day with a woman who is the assistant manager of a teen clothing store. She has worked there for three years, and although she loves her customers she is currently job-hunting because she feels underappreciated. She feels that no matter how hard she tries, it isn’t enough. She would stay, if only her employers gave any indication they are interested in her happiness.
I’ll be addressing how to do this throughout the holidays, but one thing you need to remember is this: As a leader, you’re responsible for your staff’s happiness this holiday season. While I could easily disagree and debate myself on that comment, I think we must own the staff’s happiness. Sure we could say every employee is responsible for his/her own happiness, but I think we have too much at stake to not take personal responsibility for a happy team.
Okay, what about that employee who hates working retail? What about the person who stresses out every holiday? Are you supposed to own that? Of course! Why is the person who hates retail still working for you? What are you doing to teach and coach that stress-prone employee during stressful times?
The good news is that most of our employees enjoy working the holidays, and they respond appropriately to your recognition and appreciation for them. Keep that going this season, and your store will be filled with happy customers who spend a lot of money.
2. It takes a happy YOU to have a happy staff, and a happy staff creates happy customers who spend a lot of money. As an executive, owner, or manager, you have to take responsibility for your own happiness during the holiday season.
Keep your life in balance, don’t try to do everything yourself, get plenty of rest, and keep things fun. As long you take responsibility for your own happiness, you’ll have a great store and I’m sure you’ll be very pleased with the results come January. And that’s why they call it the most wonderful time of the year.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and an extremely successful weekend.
