Retail store managers have a quite a large job to do.  They are making sure the store is opened, closed and never on fire.  They have to oversee scheduling, inventory, store operations and merchandising.  They have to hire, train, coach, praise, recognize, discipline and communicate with, in many cases, a very diverse group of team […]

Welcome back.  In part one, we looked, well, we looked at you.  The type of perspective you wish to provide within your business, your culture.  Part two established a need for measurement.  To know your scorecard.  The metrics showing you are either there or not.  Now we explore the third part of the equation, the […]

Part one looked at you being you.  It was meant to capture or stimulate the “you-ishness” that makes others want to shop with you, to come back into the store.  Now part two looks at your scorecard. I immediately think of golf.  I think of three persons.  My brother in law.  He has one of […]

If you are reading this, please note, it is primarily for owners.  It is good for managers; only if you are in a place or empowered to make suggestions about the nature of the business.  Cool?  OK. Let’s talk coffee.  For some Starbucks reigns supreme.  It rocks.  It is their oasis amidst a world of […]

“Chris?” “Morning.” “You know, umm, something strange happened to me this morning.” “Was it a dream when you see yourself standing in sort of sun god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?” “No!” “Why am I the only person who has that dream?” This is […]

OK, my original working title was “degrees of suck”.  Little harsh, eh?  Negative and vulgar… yeah, I get it.  Try not to take offense.  I am using this word as it would exist within a retail sales team and their abilities.  I am not trying to be hip or more acceptable through the use of […]

So I made someone’s day yesterday.  I rendered services with a business and they did a good job and the gal (actually, closer to my grandmother’s age, so do I actually use the term gal?) did a very good job.  And I said so.  That is the right thing.  She mentioned it made her day.  […]

Which comes first; the chicken or the egg?  What exists in nature, one without the other?  Consider the term…symbiotic.  This is defined loosely as two species living together (often independently of one another) and yet live together with some type of mutual benefit to one another.  Perhaps a quintessential example would be the bee and […]

OK, so I have taken some time to reflect.  It has been three months working with store managers across Canada.  And I am contemplating what one says to finish the series.  If you have been following, my last a.m. post was in the p.m. and this will land in early p.m.  Nevertheless, I have all […]

OK, so training is done.  The days of working with one another on growing and developing your team and discussing how to drive your business as store managers has ended…officially as an event. What now?  The answer, the one we all want to say out loud is, “Well, now we implement all these ideas.”  You […]