April FAQ - I Need Time to Lead My Team and Not Just Do Work
One Friday each month, I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.
How do I make enough time to LEAD and not just DO in my retail manager job?
In the busy world of retail leadership, it is all too easy to get sucked into doing many different projects. There are always constraints on resources (read: not enough payroll) and plenty of activities that need to be completed. The combination can feel like you don’t have enough time to lead your team. I have stated previously that I believe that planning is the most undervalued and underutilized skill of retail leaders. It is necessary to make the time to plan. Put aside the feeling of it not being productive and realize that the investment of that time will pay its dividends in multiples as you put your plan into action. By setting aside this time and holding yourself accountable to it, you will find that you have more time to develop your team, coach them on the activities you assign them, and look ahead to future projects. It is a cycle that builds on itself over the long term.
It does take discipline in order to reach this level of planning to success ratio, but it is possible. I recommend setting aside the same time each week for a deep dive into what needs to be completed in the coming 5-7 days. Review the activities that need to be completed and assign them to specific people on your team. Each day, establish a short period of time for yourself to define what your key priorities will be for the day and assess the progress on the plan you have built for the week. Make any adjustments necessary based on last-minute issues and follow up with your team as needed.
Ultimately, this will build a stronger team that can handle the responsibilities assigned to them. You should also find that it creates higher levels of engagement as they feel as though they are working to a specific end versus a never-ending carousel of activities. For you, you have more time to lead and develop the team, which only strengthens the entire planning process for the future.
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