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Welcome to Retail Renegades—where every week, I tear into 1 of the 10 biggest problems all retail leaders face:
(If you want to smash all 10 of these AND master the fundamentals of running a kick-ass store, I’d love to have you in The Break Room.) Actionable Empathy – proactively protecting your team. Being a voice for others before they ask you to do it. Make sense? This week, I want to help you make actionable empathy a consistent practice by explaining the unexpected benefits I’ve gained from advocating for my team and putting their health and well-being first.There are so many benefits to practicing actionable empathy every day beyond just supporting your team members. Here are five unexpected ways advocating for your team can lead to massive personal growth, which I hope will motivate you to make it part of your everyday leadership practice. Let’s go! 1.De-center Yourself In our careers, we focus on ourselves. Why wouldn’t we? We want to advance. We want more money. We want a fancy title. More, more, more. When is it enough? When will we feel satisfied? A decade ago, I asked myself these questions. I didn’t have an answer. So, I looked at the people next to me and decided to focus on them. How could I be of service? What did they need in their careers? I’d do anything to help them get where they wanted to go. After that, my work got way more fun. It also helped advance my career. 2. Every Business is About People If your team members understand that you care about them as a whole person, not just an employee, they’ll get behind just about anything. That includes:
Small moments of connection will equal dollars at the end of the day. 3. Hone Your Leadership What kind of leader are you? A servant leader? Motivational? Even if you adore your boss and aspire to be just like them, your leadership will vary once you’re in charge. We’re all different, even if we’re both servant leaders. Lean into that. It’s a good thing! As you gain practice in your leadership – be YOU. 4. Build your self-confidence When you are new in retail leadership, finding your leadership legs will take a little while. You want to prove yourself. You want to make the right choice. You want to be seen as a team player. But let me tell you a little secret. We ALL make mistakes, and that’s okay. Learn from it, and drive on. Take the heat. Be accountable. Learn. 5. Empathy Compounds Your team may not trust you immediately. That’s totally fine. It’s expected. Don’t push it. Relationships unfold in due time. Be there to listen to them when they need it. Advocate for their safety and well-being, and soon, you’ll have a team supporting each other and the store’s goals. Thanks for being here! Hit reply and let me know what you think of this newsletter. Good? Bad? Helpful? Do you have questions you want answered? Let me know. See you next time. Stay rad, Kit Looking for more resources to level up your leadership?
If you buy both right now, you’ll score 20% off! Buy one and you’ll have the option to add the other in the checkout screen. 🤓 ⭐️ Need a gift for yourself or for one of your leaders? Order my book today! The Retail Leader’s Field Guide: How to Run a Kick-Ass Store Where Everyone Wants to Work will help leaders at all levels, even if they are new to leadership. See you next time! PS – You’re a bad ass and you can do hard things. |