I spent a
long Labor Day weekend hanging out at the beach with my family and some very
good friends. During one conversation my friend Mark asked me what quality I
believe a retail executive absolutely must have in order to be successful. I
thought for a moment and said that while I wasn’t sure I could nail down one
quality that makes someone successful, I do know what quality I most respect in
successful retailers. Humility.
I have met
some retailers who were brilliant, but their ego constantly got in the way of
their success. That’s putting it mildly. Some were incredibly arrogant. But I
have had the privilege of not just knowing but also working for incredibly
brilliant and humble leaders. To be a humble retail leader is to not only set
your own ego aside, but to show concern and compassion for your employees. It
means to be authentic with every employee you engage with, from other executives
to the new part-timer.
Successful
retail leaders don’t need to be the face of success but they enable others to be
successful. They understand that the day is won or lost on the retail sales
floor, not in the office or the conference room. They understand that while the
right strategy is key, without the right execution it is all for naught. They
understand that when they visit stores that their job is to ask questions and,
even more important, listen to the answers. Successful retailers understand that
it’s not about them, it’s about the customer. They also understand that the way
to serve the customer is to serve the employee. And they know that it’s more
important to understand than be understood.
As a retail
executive myself I made plenty of mistakes. I had to hear from others how
something I said or didn’t say hurt someone. I had to learn that the more
responsibility I had, the more my personal contributions were moved to the
background. I learned that the bigger the retail organization got, the more
visible I needed to be. I also learned that the more visible I became, the
easier it would be to become full of myself. Fortunately, I had - and still have
- people in my life who will let me know if I’m in danger of allowing that to
happen.
Leaders must
balance confidence with humility. People expect leaders to have the answer. They
expect leaders to show the way. People put their trust in them, so leaders must
not only be confident but they must look confident. The difference between
confidence and arrogance lies in how the leader interacts with the people she is
leading. Again: Leadership is as much about as how we act as it is about what we
know. The late Peter Drucker once said, “Management is doing things right;
leadership is doing the right things.” Our role is to do both.
- Doug
About the author:
Doug Fleener is founder of the Dynamic Experiences Group. He is a veteran
retailer with more than 25 years of hands-on retail experience with world-class
retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. He has also owned
and operated his own specialty stores. His new book, The Profitable Retailer:
56 surprisingly simple and effective lessons to boost your sales and profits
published by Acanthus Publishing.
Doug is now president and
managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group LLC, a Lexington based retail
consulting firm dedicated to helping retailers create unique customer
experiences that results in higher sales and profits. Learn more at
www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com or call Doug at 866-535-6331.
Fleener also shares his
knowledge of experience based retailing in a series of custom key notes and
workshops designed for stores, businesses, corporations, non-profits, and trade
associations of all sizes. His casual style and quick wit make him not just a
crowd pleaser but also an incredible motivator, encouraging people to take
action and deliver extraordinary experiences to customers and employees alike.
Learn more at
www.dougfleener.com.
