5 Things You Are Doing as a DM That May Prevent Your Best Results
Being a District Manager in a retail environment is a fast-paced, always-on, constantly changing role that is absolutely critical to the success of any retail business. I often state that Store Managers are the most powerful leaders in the retail space, but District Managers are the most influential leaders. DMs are the ones that lead and support those most powerful players. Additionally, DMs have front-line connections with the store teams as well as the regional leaders they work for. District Managers sit between the action and the strategy and play an essential role in making magic happen in all aspects of the business.Therefore, anything that can further help the district manager group will inevitably help the business overall. As a District Manager, you understand the role you play, even if, sometimes, others don’t. You want to continue to take action on things that will deliver results for your business, your team, and your company. Here are some things you may be doing that could be limiting your ability to reach your full potential in those areas.
Not building a strong team
Multiple elements define a strong team. As a District Leader, your number one role should be to develop more strong leaders around you. More than just creating other strong leaders, you need them to work together and function as a team, not a group of individuals. Creating a culture where your Store Managers are openly sharing ideas, cheering each other on, and looking for new ways to grow their own teams will be a recipe for success.As part of building a strong team, you should be building multiple successors to your role. As your desire to advance grows, you will be asked who can fill your shoes? Having many options sets you apart from others. It is always easier to promote the person that has a clear plan for who will take their place than the one that is ready to be promoted but doesn’t have a replacement in the wings.
Creating new ideas, but not sharing right away
This one may sound familiar, as I have heard it too often (and may have been guilty of it early in my career). You have something new you are working on with your team, but you haven’t shared it with peers or your boss. At some point, someone discovers the success you are having with it and wonders why you haven’t shared with everyone else. The response, of course, is that you were working on it to ensure it got results first, then you would share it.I challenge you to share early and often any, and all ideas that you believe are worth trying. Retail is a rapidly changing business and one that needs all the good ideas it can find. Your team, your peers, and your supervisor need your help - they want to hear your thoughts. By sharing, others can chime in and add more to it. This can give your idea the best chance for success. In a worst-case scenario, others may choose not to implement your plan, but that should not prevent you from forging ahead with giving it a try. Move past the fear of either your idea not being successful or not being accepted and share with others to maximize its benefit to you and those you work with.
Not reaching out to peers inside and outside your region
Staying close to home with those you are most comfortable can be another limiting factor for District Managers. It is much easier to keep in contact with a few peers that you work well with. However, that can reduce the chances for new ideas to develop or for you to gain fresh perspectives on the same situations. Think about who within your region that you do not speak to often - reach out to them and have a conversation about what is working well for them. For the advanced version of this, reach out to a peer in a different region. What activities are they working on? How have they prioritized the work being asked of them? Perhaps you could learn what they do to develop their team. There are a million different things to learn from your peers once you open the doors to the possibilities.
Not actively participating in conference calls or meetings for the right reasons
Conference calls are a challenge for most people at all levels. They can sometimes be an overbearing download of information that doesn’t seem to add much value to the day. In other instances, there are the same people that seem to speak up all the time just to hear the sound of their own voice. It doesn’t have to be that way. How often do you contribute? And do you offer thought-provoking ideas or challenges to your team? If something isn’t working, do you ask the question - why? If something is working for you, are you sharing proactively? If you are contributing for the right reasons in the right way, it will add value not only for yourself but for your peer group as well. We only grow tired of those that share information that doesn’t move the team forward. I doubt you get tired of hearing from a peer that contributes positive information that can be put to good use. No reason you cannot be one of those contributors.
Not developing yourself to think at the next two levels up
Preparing yourself to new levels is first and foremost your responsibility. Your supervisor should be involved and supportive, but you own your progress more than anyone else. Real development begins to occur when you look ahead to multiple levels and understand the bigger picture. I would challenge you not just to look one level up, but two. What does your boss’s boss look for? How does she look at the world? What does her communication sound like? What is she thinking of? Train yourself to view the world through that perspective while still supporting and understanding what your immediate supervisor is faced with. By always looking further ahead, you can gain a new perspective on how you can contribute at that higher level. I am confident that you will be rewarded for that forward-looking view.There are many tough situations District Managers face each day in this business we are in. Don’t hold yourself back by falling into common traps and make it that much more difficult. These five things are not simple to avoid, but with conscious effort, each can be made to work for you instead of against your growth, your results, and ultimately, your long-term success.What is the first action you will take to avoid one of these common mistakes?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.Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash