20 Things Effective Retail Leaders Do
There is no checklist for leadership. Most things we do as leaders have to be done in the moment and based on the circumstances we are facing. That said, there are foundational elements that all of us can build into routines and habits that will allow us to be better prepared for the ‘in the moment’ situations we must lead through.
Below are twenty ideas that you can incorporate into your daily or weekly routines that can establish a pattern for successful outcomes. Some may seem very basic, others more aspirational. Take what will make the most significant difference for you now and begin there. While all of these elements likely manifest themselves regularly for seasoned, experienced, effective leaders, it doesn’t mean you have to be there immediately. (Read: Don’t Compare Your Beginning to Someone Else’s End.)
Plan for the future — Ensure you have regular time set aside for looking ahead and anticipating the needs of your team and business. What steps need to happen for success?
Take care of themselves — Sleep, rest, hobbies, good eating habits are all important to the best leaders. They know how these work together to ensure they can bring their best every day.
Act selflessly — The best leaders are thinking about their team's needs first. What support, mentoring, developmental opportunities do they need? They know by taking care of others, they are taking care of themselves for the long-haul.
Practice gratitude — Giving thanks for the positive things that happen in our lives is a good way to reinforce them. Gratitude brings happiness. Happiness inspires innovation. Innovation builds growth.
Develop themselves — Build in time for your development. This can include reading books, watching videos, or listening to podcasts. It can also include taking courses or attending online learning sessions. Regardless of the medium, the best leaders never stop learning and developing their skills.
Make time to develop others — Developing strong leaders is the mantra of every great leader. They will make the time to ensure others around them get the development they need for their ongoing success.
Demonstrate Personal Accountability — Ownership is at the heart of great leaders. They take accountability for their actions and outcomes. They look inside before pointing the finger.
Model the way — Through their words AND actions, the best leaders show what is possible by doing things the right way.
Share the Vision — Shout it from the mountaintop. That may be a little extreme, but great leaders are always talking about the path forward and the many great things that lie ahead. They do in so detail and in ways that everyone can understand and picture in their mind.
Filter — There will always be too much information for everyone to digest and act on. Leaders look at all the information and help to clear out the noise and concentrate their teams on what matters most.
Prioritize — Related to filtering, great leaders always have the running list of what is the next most important thing. They keep the team engaged on the few things that will bring the greatest impact.
Create accountability — Accountability is not a bad word. Creating an environment of accountability will help everyone feel good about what is accomplished. It also builds trust among the team — everyone knows that everyone else will do their part.
Celebrate success — Recognition is the fuel for future success. Catching people doing things right is how great leaders create engagement and build strings of wins.
Set and Manage SMARTER goals — Having a framework for success is real. The best leaders have clearly defined targets for themselves and the team. They ensure they have all the resources aligned for achieving those established outcomes.
Think Different — The current conditions will not last for long. Great leaders challenges themselves to think about new possibilities and ways to innovate, even if that bucks conventional thought processes.
Take time off — Everyone needs to recharge. Working without taking time off is not a badge of achievement. Excellent leaders know that taking time away is the best way to energize, refresh, and renew themselves to help everyone else.
Create engagement — It is always about the team and ensuring they work together and towards the common objective. The best leaders have an environment where people want to work together and achieve success.
Foster a positive culture — Creating fear or concentrating on negative aspects does not work for the long term. Outstanding leaders look for the positive components and reinforce how that can be possible for everyone, even in the face of tough situations.
Build Teams — Rarely do great things happen because of a single contributor. Strong leaders align people with different skill sets and allow them to do their best work. Collectively, they will produce far more than the sum of their individual contributions.
Stay productive vs busy — The best leaders know the difference between busy work and concentrating on the few things that will have the greatest impact. Planning, prioritizing, and communicating are all hallmarks of the productive leader.
These are just quick overviews of what each of these behaviors might look like. I encourage you to make these your own. Adjust them to fit your specific needs, taking the premise and personalizing it to your style and desired outcomes.
I have selected seven of these and created a small infographic poster that you can download and use as a reminder for these to help you on your journey of being a more effective leader. DOWNLOAD HERE
Which of these above resonates most with you? How will you make these your own?
Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills, all at no cost. JOIN NOW!
No spam ever — just leadership goodness.