The store manager is a key person in the organization of the offline retail chain since she has updated information on the market and a direct relation with the final customer.
She may actually spend long hours in the office filling out sales reports or may stay long on the phone, sometimes so long that she overlooks her main activity: selling. Being present in the shop, indeed, should be her priority and represent at least 70% of the time between services to the customers and staff management.
Since there is the possibility that this percentage is not complied with, it is easy to spot what the retail director needs to constantly monitor: the ability to delegate and leadership.
If the store manager actually delegates more often to the vice-store manager or the heads of department, she would be in a position to reach sales objectives more effectively, without risking to lose control of her management activities.
The ideal store manager should be present in the shop and have a close relationship with the sales team. She should listen, observe, share and train potentials of shop assistants and customers. Her leadership should evolve and give constructive feedback to the staff, instead of reproaching them for trivial matters: finally, a boss-coach.
The new leadership would have many followers, especially among young people, some of whom are not very humble and sometime quite arrogant. We need to think how to focus them in activities that otherwise would be boring, think about how we can amaze them, making them responsible for correcting their actions, instead of using them or exploiting them. Offering them another opportunity would be very intelligent, because they represent the future, whether we like it or not, they are modern and they love the community.
The shop is a very powerful community; from the stores new trends are developed, fashions are spread and tastes of customers are changed.
The store manager should be a good communicator, a role model, an influencer.
That is why isolating her in an office, far away from the rest of the world, from the followers is not acceptable.
Do you guys agree with this ?
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