WHAT DO STORE MANAGERS DO?

Store managers are the people in charge of entire stores and the employees that work within. Store

managers are in charge of the general operations of a store, making sure it runs smoothly, cleanly and

meets any budget or sales goals.

A store manager might plan and promote the daily schedule of employees and the business, interview,

hire, coordinate and discipline employees, make sure the store is stocked, clean and in proper working

order, create and maintain budgets, and coordinate with and report to senior management in the

company.

JOB SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

Leadership Skills: You will have to keep your employees motivated, resolve conflicts and make hard

decisions for your employees. A successful store manager is a good leader.

Time Management: You will be working with employees, customers and management. You might

have to create schedules, order supplies and write reports. Time management is essential to make

sure everything gets done.

Math and Budgeting: Store managers are expected to keep and maintain a budget in almost every

field. You will need to be confident in using math skills to make sure you know where your

company's money is going.

Analytical Skills: You will be in charge of hiring new employees, and being a good judge of character

will help ensure that you hire the right people to maintain an efficient and motivated team. You will

also need analytical skills to be able to solve problems that may come up during a typical work day.

Decision-Making Skills: The buck stops with you. Whether it is dealing with employees, customers,

management or vendors, you will have to make decisions that affect the company. Having the ability

to make hard and fast decisions is crucial to your success.

Speaking and Writing: Store managers do a lot of communicating. This might be one-on-one to a

customer, in front of a group of employees, or in a meeting with management. You might be called

upon to write reports, recommendations, or reasons for termination. Great verbal communications

and writing skills will help you in any of these scenarios.

Customer Service Skills: Customers are going to ask to speak to the manager. How you interact with

customers is crucial for repeat business, employee morale and the health of your company. Great

customer service skills will help you solve issues before they become problems, and help create

customer loyalty.

10 Ways To Be A Better Store Manager

1. Take one of your employees out for a cup of coffee and spend some quality one-on-one time. Be

sure and ask what you can do to improve the store and make it a more enjoyable place to work.

Also ask what you can do to help them develop.

2. Watch and listen to your staff interact with customers, and then give them feedback. First tell

them three things they did well. Then tell them three things they could have done better. Always

end a feedback session expressing your confidence in them and your appreciation for their

efforts.1

3. Create a fun one-day contest that involves the whole staff. Here's one that is fun to do and fun to

watch. First, pick an area of focus. It could be selling products over a certain price point. Or it

could be selling add-ons or complete solutions. One of my favorites is exhibiting a desired

behavior. Purchase a bouquet of flowers and put it into a container in the backroom or on the

back counter. Then with either plastic bottles or cups create a vase for each employee working

that day. Every time an employee achieves the goal you've set they move a flower from the

bouquet into their vase. At the end of the day the employee with the most flowers in their vase

wins. The winner gets to take the flowers home as well as something like a gift certificate to a

local restaurant. 

Learn how to create great winning contest with our white paper, Design and Execute an

Engaging Contest.

4. Always, always, always, thank your employees for their contribution and efforts when they're

leaving for the day.  Chase them out the door to tell them if you have to.  Of course, be sincere.

5.  Spend 15 minutes working on your own development. Whether by it's reading a book, a

magazine, or a newspaper, you must drive your own development. To develop as a leader we

must always be expanding our own base of knowledge.

6.  Straighten up your office. You can't expect your employees to have spotless work spaces if you

don't.

7. Be the first one to clean this morning or at closing. It's amazing how much your staff respects you

when you join in and clean. I know you have a lot of other things to do but working side by side

with your staff is invaluable.

8. One of the biggest mistakes store managers can make is to spend hours working in the office and

then come out on to the floor and try to take charge. The best thing you can do when you come

onto the floor is to ask the staff how you can help. So often I see a manager come out from the

office, see a customer in the store and ask an employee if they've been helped. You know the

employee is dying to tell the manager "If you'd been on the floor you'd know that we've

approached him twice." Come out to help, not take charge.

9. Engage a customer and be the reference standard. Successful managers know that there is no

such thing as "do as I say and not as I do". If the reference is to welcome every customer then

the manager should be out front welcoming every customer. Leaders always go first.

10. Repeat the first nine things every day! 

How to Be a Good BossYou're the boss. Congrats. However, it can be very difficult being a boss who is not respected, ineffective

at managing staff, or even actively disliked. How do you get your staff to be the best thing that ever

happened to you? The answer is intuitive: by being the best boss that ever happened to them. This article

is intended to be helpful in a smaller, more casual setting. Although the tips could be helpful to a person

in a larger, more formal executive setting, some would not be appropriate in those settings - see How to

Be A Good Manager for advice in a more formal setting. But if you're someone who is pretty much the

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ultimate authority in his or her company or store (a small business owner or a general manager (GM) for

a retail store, for example), there are a few guidelines you should follow to be the best possible boss.

Developing trust and conveying appreciation to your employees, for example, might be all it takes to

become the best boss you can be.

Steps

1. Realize that management succeeds via the efforts of the workers. Because you're in charge

doesn't mean you deserve all the credit for the work being done. Your staff is responsible for the

bulk of the work. You are leading them as they get it done to be sure all regulations are complied

with, etc.,.

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2. Delegate responsibility and then trust your people. Micro-managers are never appreciated and

shows disrespect toward the team member. Once you've trained someone to handle a task, allow

him or her to handle it without interference. Different people have different approaches, and

someone else's way of doing something may be just as efficient as the way you would do it.

Before you step in and force your way on anyone, give an honest evaluation to the method, and if

you find it works just as well, even if it's different from yours, let it be. Constantly correcting your

people undercuts their confidence and does not allow them to exercise their own style.

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3. Know your employees to know your strength. Watch your staff; get to know them as individuals.

Understand their motives: Whatever that is, do your best to understand. That allows you to

enhance, adjust, and align their motives with your goals. The cream always rises to the top, and

it's your job to figure out which employees do what is required in their jobs, and employees do all

they can in their jobs. There is ahuge distinction.

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4. Most bad bosses are under the (mistaken) impression there is something threatening about this,

because the bad boss thinks that she or he is the only one who can perform a given function. The

truth is, the best boss trusts that his or her staff can be utterly relied upon.

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5. Empower your staff to Make Decisions, and don't second-guess them. If you've done a good job

of training your people to be your proxies, then you must believe they are doing their best to act in

your (and your company's) best interest. Even if they make a wrong decision, or handle a

situation in a way you would not have, don't second guess or berate them. Instead, use it as yet

another training opportunity. Hear out their reasons for their action - most of the time, when taken

in context, there was a logical basis for what they decided to do.

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6. Help them learn to work out issues without your intervention. Sometimes one or more of your staff

may experience friction with others. If they come tattling on one another to you, Listen to them

carefully. If someone is not fulfilling his own responsibilities or is mistreating another employee,

you'll need to step in and Resolve a Conflict at Work. But if you're satisfied it's only an issue of

competition or a simple personality clash, urge them to settle it between themselves.

Talk to the other person, and upon verifying that it's a personality issue, simply let them both know

that they aren't required to be friends, only to get along and get their work finished.

Tell them both you believe in their abilities to work and get along. Then leave them alone, but

watch carefully. Don't interfere unless they bicker in front of customers. Put a stop to anything like

that instantly.

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7. Deal with any problems quickly and directly. Any boss who is busy totally understands this

concept: "I don't need all the details. Bottom line it for me." You don't have to be so blunt that you

crush people, and Be Honest Without Being Harsh is a big time saver, and frankly, appreciated in

the end. When you see a problem, deal with it quickly and don't nag your people about it later - let

done be done. Try to elicit the agreement that whatever just happened was not acceptable.

Remember that your goal is to promote productive behavior and retain the respect of your

employee, NOT to antagonize your people, particularly in front of others. Here's an example:

Boss: "Evan. I need you in the office for a moment." (Say this in a neutral or pleasant tone. Don't come

out in front of customers or peers with your guns blazing, bellowing, "Evan, get in the office NOW." This is

between you and Evan.) Privately, once all prying eyes are away:

Boss: "Evan, the cell phone call. Is everything okay with your family?"

Evan: "Yes, it was just my dad wanting some help later..."

Boss: "Okay, I see. We're all human, but when you're out in the front office, you cannot take personal

calls."

Evan: "I know. I'm sorry. It's just my dad doesn't have many opportunities to talk to me..." (the actual

problem or subject of the call is irrelevant)

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Boss: "I understand; nevertheless - when you find you can't end a personal call immediately, I'd like you

to leave the front reception. When customers see you taking an obviously personal call instead of helping

them, it looks bad for you and the business Our customer is always to have priority unless you have an

emergency.

Evan: "Yeah... that was my mistake."

Boss: "Alright. Glad you understand that. Ideally, I'd like you to let your phone go to voice mail when

you're at work, but at least leave the front office if you can't end the call immediately,

And that's it. Don't belabour it, don't nag him about it, just let him get on with his job. It isn't necessary to

cushion these discussions with compliments or flattery. Your employee should (A) know better than to

take lengthy personal calls on the job and (B) be a grownup about discipline. You, as a Good Boss,

should (A) stay cool - it's a training opportunity, and (B) be kind and calm, but firm and clear in expressing

your correction of the behavior and your expectation for the future. Excessive compliments and a

constant attempt to "relate" to your staff's personal issues are a waste of time, as are berating and

belaboring lectures. Get to the point quickly - but without becoming strident or making a mountain out of a

molehill.

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8. Tell your staff how much you appreciate them - in front of customers if possible. Never hesitate to

pat your employees on the back, Compliment staff, and thank them for their excellent service - if

customers are there, letting them know how you value your people can go a long way toward the

customers actually having more faith in the services your business provides. When your staff feel

valued and appreciated, their job means more to them than simply a paycheck. When your

customers know that you, as the manager think highly of your staff, they feel confident that

they're in good hands, and it gives you more freedom to leave your customers in the very capable

hands of your staff. See how this becomes a "win-win-win"? By lifting up your employee while

your customer was watching, All you got something good from it - with zero downside.

9. Show your appreciation by doing things for them. They go the extra mile for you. You do

something nice for them.

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10. Learn to be an effective listener. Your employees deserve to be heard when they have concerns.

Allow them to finish talking before you speak; do not assume that you know what they are going

to tell you before they finish talking; do not form objections in your mind while they are talking.

Instead, try to be fully engaged while they are talking without making it about your rebuttal.

Acknowledge their points, which do not mean that you agree, but does mean that you understand

their concerns. Repeat their points in your own words to confirm, if necessary. You may not need

to take any action, but hearing them out is important to their sense of empowerment and

significance. Often, simply saying, "I appreciate your telling me this" is all that's needed to make

them feel they were heard.

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11. Always say thanks to them for what they do at work.

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12. Always say neat. People don't hear it enough in everyday life.

Are you a great store manager?

1. Do you challenge employees to set new performance goals?

No matter how you judge performance—sales, productivity, or efficiency—you must

inspire employees to do better. “The great store manager encourages employees to set

high goals,” says Fred Martels, president of People Solution Strategies, Chesterfield,

MO. Each employee should continually establish specific, achievable goals and draw up

an action plan for meeting them.

2. Do you coach employees to overcome performance issues?

Motivated workers are great, but even the most enthusiastic sometimes encounter

performance problems. That’s when the great store manager starts coaching.

“Coaching encourages employees to generate creative solutions to performance

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problems,” Hyken says. Because coaching emphasizes collaboration rather than

confrontation, these efforts improve workplace effectiveness while avoiding the costly

stress generated by disciplinary sessions.

3. Do you encourage employees to contribute new ideas?

Employees who contribute ideas feel invested in your store’s success. “The manager

must encourage employees to speak up and then listen to what they have to say,” says

Martels.

The best store managers include employees in decision-making by encouraging them to

suggest ways to do things better, says Martels. “Rather than be your store’s problem

solver, encourage a team effort. Ask stimulating questions such as: ‘Here is our

problem. How do we solve it?'”

4. Do you take a personal interest in your employees?

Employees aren’t just cogs in your profit machine. When managers recognize their

employees have a life outside of work, and help employees balance life and work,

motivation can skyrocket. “Little things mean a lot to employees,” says Leil Lowndes, a

New York City-based author of books on communications skills. “Learn their kids’

names. Remember their birthdays. Say ‘Hello’ in the hallways.”

5. Do you delegate well?

“Great store managers let go and delegate,” says Hyken. “Too many times I’ve seen

people without that ability attempt to micromanage every process in their stores. Then

they get stressed out because they are trying to do everything themselves.” The result

is employees who have little responsibility and feel disengaged and demoralized. That

will lead to a bad attitude, which will impact your bottom line.

The courage to delegate doesn’t come easily. Hyken suggests using this formula: First

visualize the result you want the employee to achieve. Then list the steps required to

achieve that result and the skills requisite to each step. Then rate the employee’s skills

in those areas on a scale of one to five, five meaning that the employee has all the

requisite skills to accomplish the job. Does the employee have the necessary skills to

get the job done, or is there a better candidate within the organization?

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6. Do you communicate your priorities and directions clearly?

You know what you want from your employees. But do they?

Employees can’t perform well when they don’t know what constitutes success. “Usually

employees don’t really know what’s critically important to their managers,” says

Lowndes. And if there’s been a recent change in management, things can get sticky.

“Employees usually assume their current managers share the values of previous

[managers]. That might not be the case.”

Great store managers communicate what’s important in clear language. Is it accuracy of

work? Arriving on time? Being gracious with customers? Whatever your top priorities,

communicate them.

7. Do you resolve conflicts in a productive way?

Effective store managers turn “bad” conflicts into “good” results. “Conflict can be bad

when people just scream at each other,” says Hyken. “But it can be good when it leads

to new solutions for old problems.” When two employees are in conflict, Hyken says, be

sure to counsel each separately. You might start with a statement such as this: “I see

this happening in the work place…. Tell me what you are seeing.” Follow up with a

statement designed to assess how the conflict affects the employee: “I feel [this way]

about what is happening…. Tell me what you are feeling.”

Emphasize the consequence of not resolving the conflict in terms of decreased

productivity or even job termination.

8. Do you behave in a professional manner at work?

Do you act like a professional? Are you a role model for your employees? “Personal

characteristics and attitudes are important and often-overlooked elements in a

competency model,” says Florence M. Stone, a New York City-based author of

management books. “We are talking about your ability to be a role model.”

Stone gives these examples of basic professional behavior:

Dedication to work and willingness to put in long hours

Giving credit to employees rather than to oneself

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Avoiding rumors and excessive socializing at work

Communicating in a thoughtful way

Arriving at work and meetings on time

If you’re not setting a good example for your employees in these areas, negative

behaviors are likely to trickle down throughout the organization.

9. Do you inspire your employees?

Are you cheerful? Do you project enthusiasm? In other words, do you have a dynamic

personality that inspires others?

“A great store manager must be able to inspire and enable employees to perform at

their best,” says Ian Jacobsen, a Morgan Hill, CA-based management consultant.

Enthusiasm begins with a genuine interest in the business, plus an interest in the other

people who work in that business, which often manifests as simple friendliness. Great

store managers never miss a chance to be friendly in behavior and speech. Greet

everyone with a “Good morning!” “Employees will almost always set their whole day by

how their managers treat them in the morning,” says Jacobsen.

10.Do you listen well?

“Great store managers are clear communicators,” affirms Mel Kleiman, a Houston-

based management consultant. “And communications is a two-way street: We’re talking

not only about speaking and writing but also listening.”

Here are some tips from Kleiman on being a good listener:

Encourage the employee to open up

Summarize and repeat what you hear. This gives the employee an opportunity to

correct misapprehension.

Ask the employee to express feelings about the issue

Keep your focus on the employee. Don’t start telling your own stories.

Encourage the employee to generate solutions to problems. Don’t give advice.

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