Move from Retail Manager to Leader with These Tips

In a recent series of articles, I covered the importance of having a succession plan and developing talent. Part of that process is often moving people from a manager mindset to a leader's mindset. It is a critical step that many leaders never fully make. We tend to have a propensity to do instead of spending more time on thinking, visioning, and building strategy. Those can be challenging leaps to make, yet are the most important elements of making that move from one role to another. Don’t get me wrong, as a leader, there will be times that managing a situation, or applying management thinking is required. I would say it this way: not every manager is a leader, but every leader is also a manager.

“Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.” — Tom Peters

It is more than just doing. Managers do things, they get stuff done. Leaders, while also ensuring things get done, do so with planning, strategy, and intention. It is a next level of how versus simply crossing things off a list. It is the intentionality, the thought process of combining how, why, and when that will move from managing something to leading an outcome.

"The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why." — Warren Bennis

One overarching element that will make leaders standout immediately is privatization. This one activity will define your new role. Managers do what is next on the list. Leaders look at the list and recognize what needs to be done, when. They also look at the available resources and ensure that they match the needs and desired outcome. Without that, you can have the wrong people doing work that is not best suited for the situation.

Beyond that, here are five other tips you can use to make that move from manager to leader.

1. Make time for planning

Schedule time specifically for planning and organizing your thoughts. You’ve moved past doing all the time, now you need to have dedicated time to look at the situation, what is happening, what has happened, and what direction you believe things are going. This is where you begin your prioritization process and separating out what is urgent and what is important.

2. Read more and expand your interests

Leaders build their knowledge base and seek new ideas. Reading is an excellent way to gain fresh perspectives on existing situations. It provides you with access to many people’s thoughts and ideas. This article is a great example of what that can look like. Even if you take a small nugget of information that I share, it may help you think about your specific situations differently. Reading can come in many forms. It can be short articles like this, longer-form articles (think full HBR articles), or books. Mix and match, or just find what works best for you.

3. Watch videos for new ideas

In addition to reading, watching videos is another great way to gain fresh insights on different areas of like and business. I truly think that YouTube has become an invaluable resource for learning. Sure, there are plenty of “time sucks" on YouTube, but there are also an infinite number of learning options. You can also explore other sources like TEDTalks, SkillShare, or Master Class. All of these (and there are many more, even TikTok) can be a great source of ideas.

4. Brainstorm regularly

Brainstorming is an underutilized activity for individuals or groups. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Set aside ten minutes to just jot down every idea on a subject that comes to mind. Take all the boundaries off, let your mind wander free and capture everything. There are no bad ideas, no crazy thinking. See where it takes you. I am willing to bet that everyone will be surprised at how productive that can be in a short period of time. During a future planning session you can scrub through the ideas and prioritize, eliminate, and refine. Keep brainstorming just for idea generation.

5. Be curious, ask more questions

The header says it all. Ask plenty of questions driven by your curiosity. Sure, you could frame this up as root cause analysis and ‘the five whys’, but if it takes three why’s or twelve, it should be about your curiosity, not a specific outcome you are seeking. I promise you will learn something new and spark ideas and interest in additional areas by taking this approach.

"The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… out of discord, harmony… and out of difficulty, opportunity." — Albert Einstein

From a mindset perspective, this table shows the differences in several aspects that both managers and leaders may face in their role. You can see the subtle variations that transition from one to the other.

I firmly believe that anyone can be a manager or a leader. Both are choices. The skills for either are something that can be developed and honed over time. But it is important to understand that there is a difference as well. Leaders step up to move beyond getting something down, and leading an outcome. The best leaders define that outcome through their vision, communicate that regularly, and then use the concept mentioned above to achieve the results they desire. Ultimately, it creates an environment that others want to be a part of. The team feels like they are winning, contributing, and have a purpose in the work they are doing. This is leadership at its finest.

How are you making the leap from manager to leader?

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