Each year the National Retail Federation hosts their ‘Big Show’ where vendors and retailers come together in New York City to share ideas and show innovation. I attended this year and the key new feature was Artificial Intelligence (AI). It was everywhere across many different types of vendors. It is clearly something that almost everyone is leaning into. It will be fascinating to see how it manifests itself in different applications we use in retails stores and as leaders in the coming years.

I thought I would share some other thoughts from this year’s show in today’s article.

Communication to your team is at the core of every leader’s success. This is a common and important question for this month - how can I most effectively communicate with my team? There is no ‘one right way’ so this article shares several ideas on how you can connect with your team and ensure they have the information they need for them (and you) to be successful.

Leadership and influence are intertwined, yet the path to becoming an effective influencer isn't always clear. In this article, I explore the 4 Cs—Competency, Character, Charisma, and Consistency—as the key competencies to elevate your influencing skills. Learn how to create a cohesive connection for authentic influence and positive change.

Most of us don’t like to have to think about math once we finish school. It doesn’t always take complicated equations to see how things can add up very quickly, or be simplified equally as fast. That is the concept behind what I call ‘chain math’. This is a fun read to get a quick look at how ‘chain math’ can be your buddy or your enemy real quick. #chainmath #math #multipliers #leadership #retailmath #retailstores

The importance of a healthy diet and the impact it has on your cognitive skills and mood. Reducing sugar, reducing alcohol, eating a protein rich diet.

Are you trying to get more done this year? Perhaps you set a goal to be more organized this year. New Year's goals are frequently tied to productivity and organization. Often, these goals center around finding new tools or resources to help achieve those goals. Recording what you need to do will be a critical aspect of this. That is where task manager applications are beneficial. Most of us in retail are probably familiar with these for our stores so they can monitor what has been assigned to them and marking it as complete when they finish the items at the store. There are tons of tools to help us with that in our personal lives too.

I have covered Apple’s Reminders application and Todoist previously in Tech Tips, and you can read both by clicking the links in each name. To begin this new year, though, I wanted to share some comparisons between the two, perhaps to help select which is the best for you. This isn’t meant to be a full overview of the products; rather a more practical look at certain uses and differences between the two. They are both excellent options, and in my opinion, easy to use and will help you follow what you have on your plate as well as what is coming up.

The calendar may change, but thoughtful planning remains key to success. 🌟 Avoid pitfalls like lack of alignment, unrealistic expectations, and neglecting personal growth. 🚀 Take time to reflect, set realistic goals, plan strategically, and find balance. 📆 Your goals, your pace—invest the time you need for valuable dividends. #GoalSetting #NewYearGoals #StrategicPlanning #ReflectAndPlan

What goals have you set for 2024?

A look at the 10 most popular articles on Effective Retail Leader in 2023.