What if they come in and don’t want to buy stuff? Excuse me why I giggle just a little bit. Don’t want to buy stuff? Why are they there exactly? So here is what you might say or think… They have a product question. They have a return or repair. They are looking or just […]
What?
Come on, really, what’s up? Have you ever had that moment when you said that? Have you ever just wanted to scream? Have you ever wondered why that today, (expletive added for your own enjoyment or validation)? I have had a day like that…oh, let me think…yeah oh, uh every day…thank you very much. Does […]
Perspective
You have a perspective in life. And so do I. And that is why we sometimes do not get “it” right. We are just being “us” and “we” and that gets in the way of getting along. We have a filter. We take in and drop off everything we say, hear and do based on […]
Does What I Do Matter?
About twenty years ago, I vented. I was speaking with a dear friend and complaining about my current state of affairs. I was working for an incredibly well-known fashion company out of New York. I was struggling with the fact that I was working in an industry where “people bought things they really do not […]
I took a Day Off
This is an important and often asked question by store managers. It relates to the fact they have days off (imagine that) or are not in the store all the time. How do they know the team is doing it? This is in a way the quintessential question, What if I am gone, are they […]
What’s with your idea?
Someone said once, “The best ideas have already been given.” I disagree. I think every day there is someone who is figuring out a new “thingy”. So what does it look like? I don’t know. What should it look like? I would first imagine it looks like the guy or gal’s need, but I could […]
Phrases that Drive Me Nuts
Do you have that word or phrase that drives you nuts? You are out with friends and there is that one friend, you know the one that everyone cringes when they show up. What? You don’t know what I am talking about? To take a line from Dane Cook, you probably are that friend. Anyway, […]
Retention
If you read my What If post on perfection, the question posed was “What if I can’t find good people?” I mentioned in that post that retention is a big part of this question. Really? It may seem odd to look at a question about finding people or even hiring people within a context of […]
What is Perfect?
“I cannot seem to find any good people. What if I cannot find a good candidate?” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this from small to large companies. I have to wonder many things. Where are you looking? What has caused this need? How complicated is your job? And just how […]
But, What about the Good Stuff?
When you hear a song or see an image, do you respond? Do you say or think “yes, cool. That is exactly the way it should work”? How often does that actually happen? I look at management with always hopeful glasses. I do not have all the answers, I know that. I live a life […]
Management & Leadership Series: Reflection
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. The last installment, Part 52: Reflection (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Joy
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 51: Joy (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Service
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 50: Service (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Grace & Truth
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 49: Grace & Truth (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Awareness
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 48: Awareness (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Respect
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 47: Respect (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Gratitude
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 46: Gratitude (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Honesty
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 45: Honesty (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Courage
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 44: Courage (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Management & Leadership Series: Empowerment
52-week series focusing on the character traits that amplify and enhance management and leadership skills. Part 43: Empowerment (Go to the Resources tab and click Download for the the PDF supporting the video)
Coaching Awareness; a 4-Part chat from 2012
This series proceeds the Coaching Steps podcast. Consider this a moment or two to contemplate coaching and what is behind it.
Coaching Steps; a 5-Part chat from 2012
Coaching can be defined in so many different ways. Is it a sit down or on the fly? Is it challenging, enabling, encouraging, sharing or modeling? Is it training? This is a five part series tales a simple look to see at the what, why, how and to what extent.
Sales & Service; a 4-Part Chat from 2012
Don’t over-complicate the sales and service reality in the retail environment. Keep it simple.
Prioritization
This podcast explores how an idea moves from realization to doing-ness. This is a first of a series of ad lib discussions.
Non-Compliance Podcast
This podcast is meant to add consideration to the blog posts. It highlights two specific ways to look at non-compliance.
Intro to Communication in Retail
This podcast introduces the upcoming blog series on communication in retail. It will look first at what precedes communication. The subsequent postings will cover aspects and tactics within the act of communication, especially with your team and the customer.
Managing Retail during the Holidays; Part Two
This represents our second glance into managing, leading and executing in the retail environment during a very busy time of year. This part looks at how you work with you team.
Managing Retail during the Holidays; Part One
Are you a new retail manager? Do you know what you do not know? The goal of this podcast series is to look at three aspects of managing retail during the crazy time of year. Each part will share insight from a different lens.
Motivation & Generations; Part Two
This moves from the generational environment to the individual choice machine. You decide your own motivation and as manager the best you can do is influence another motivation.
Motivation & Generations; Part One
This podcast is part one of a series meant to look at motivation. Generations matter in the workplace and this is the starting point to better manage how people make decisions.