Nov FAQ — Staying aligned to principles during the busiest times
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.
We are heading into our busies sales season of the year, I have worked hard to build standards and process all year. How do I avoid losing momentum on those with all the distractions that come with peak seasons?
The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for many retailers. While it is a common point on the calendar for most, it is not the only time a business experiences a peak season throughout the year. With peak seasons comes additional workload, many new people, some of which might be temporary helpers, any of which can lead to process breakdown and shifting priorities. I have seen this happen in multiple ways during different peak seasons in my career. So, what can you do to avoid it?
Mindset
There is a mindset component to this. You have to stay grounded in the idea that how you run your business during the ‘rest of the year’ is the right way for you. The peak season only accelerates different aspects, it does not negate what you stand for or expect during any other time of the year. Adjustments may have to be made to support customer volume, incoming product volume, or new people as employees. These specific items may be different based on your particular business, but every retail-based business will experience some type of volume change in their key work drivers. Know that those adjustments have to be made up front, but they don’t require fundamental changes to the process.
Alignment
Align your second-level leaders. Regardless of your specific role, you will need to align those that work directly for you on your expectations. If you are a multi-unit leader at a localized level, that may also require helping to build a plan for the second-level leaders that report to the folks you directly report. In a retail store environment, as an example, a District Manager would set expectations with their Store Managers. They may also help to define the plan of what the expectations will be of the Assistant Manager/Supervisor type positions in those stores. Everyone needs to know that the day-to-day processes remain the same. The standards don’t change because we are busier. But you do need to outline how you support the increased volume within those parameters.
Act
Address changes to performance and standards quickly. Because things move at a faster pace during peak seasons, allowing anything to get away from your standards will happen and expand fast. You must acknowledge and act on those situations quickly to prevent the problem from growing and requiring a lot more resources to resolve the problem. Recognize the change early, and act quickly.
Encouragement
Praise and encouragement is more important than ever. During these peak seasons, especially with many new faces involved in the day-to-day business, catching people doing things right and recognizing them for it is critical. You want to reinforce those behaviors. There may not be a lot of time for long observations or coaching sessions. Retraining isn’t an option. While this type of reinforcement is also necessary, like everything else during these high-volume periods, the need is elevated. A quick ‘great job, that’s exactly what we want to see’ to a temporary, part-time worker will go miles beyond any five-minute training video. The idea of being in the mix of the business each day and encouraging the team on what they are doing helps them work through the inevitable tough periods of long lines or customers, seemingly endless pallets of product, and cleaning up from all the customer traffic coming through your location. Everyone needs to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the day, and they need to know it's not a train.
Peak seasons should be a fun part of your business. It should be exciting to see and engage with so many customers. It is usually a great way to introduce your business to many new people who many not have visited your brand or location before. But it can be a challenge to keep everything running smoothly during the busiest time of the year. Establish the mindset that you can maintain your standards, even on the busiest of days. Align your team around your vision and expectations of the peak season. Act quickly on any changes in performance or standard. And keep encouraging your team throughout. Recognize positive behaviors on the spot and let them know how they are making a difference each day. Those can keep you on target, maximize your sales and opportunities during peak season, and let you continue to build and grow on the other side of the busy times.
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.