Are you already practicing empathy as a part of your leadership style? If so, does your team recognize it? If not, what difference can it make? To be a great leader, you have to be a great listener.

Have you ever faced a significant project that will take a lot of effort, coordination, and change to accomplish? Did that project seem overwhelming at the start?

The ability to influence, develop, and effectively lead your team into the future requires mutual trust and a connection at the human level. Do you have that with your team today?

There is a never ending stream of information about providing customer service in almost every industry available to businesses and leaders, yet it is still rare to find standout experiences.

he concept of empathy and the role it plays in leadership has become more of a key topic recently. More and more studies about how humans behave, how their brains work, and the impact that has on our daily lives are surfacing.

You have many things to accomplish, a team that is looking to you for direction, and a need to deliver results for your business. Sound familiar? As a busy retail leader your plate is likely always full and then some.

Do you allow other tasks or more tangible activities invade your time for planning? Have you ever felt that planning time is a luxury that you cannot work into your schedule?

Rather, I believe being able to effectively focus your energy, resources, and team around key initiatives that serve the greater good are critical to long-term success.

Focus is a powerful thing to have in life and in business. How can I state that I dislike that term? I have three key reasons that I dislike the term focus.

Asking whether it is more important to be people focused or results focused seems like a trick question. The default answer would seem to be 'both' and, ultimately that is correct.

Have you ever started an initiative that seemed to fizzle out after a few weeks or months?Each January ushers in the opportunity to ‘start fresh’ and as such, many companies and leaders choose to introduce new ideas.

Most people will immediately identify **people** as their most important asset. They will state that they are the differentiator in their business. I agree that is true, but few leaders back those statements up with specific actions that support their beliefs.

There are certain basics that every successful person will have as a foundation. They may seem very simple but they cannot be overlooked, forgotten, or taken for granted.

The point I want to make with this story is this: ensure you build tools for your associates that will enhance their experience as well as the customer’s.