DMSRetail

There is no denying that working in a team can inspire each team member to do his very best. However, that doesn’t mean it will. And, very often, working in a team can provide a very convenient cover for those who may not be pulling their weight.

Yes, we know about the self policing aspect of teamwork…that the high performers will either help the low performers or try to get rid of them.

Although there is some truth to that…it’s amanagement cop out! You owe it to your business, and to your top performers, to effectively manage poor performers to improve or move on.

In a retail store, all associates need to be assigned individual targets. Without those targets, it is difficult to figure out who really showed up for work and who didn’t. Really… how would you know for sure?

It’s impossible to effectively manage the performance of one individual when you cannot, or do not, measure it.

We want each and every one of our associates to be accountable, right?

So, each associate needs to have their own goal to work towards; they need to be aware of what their personal target is and they need to be aware…at all times…how they are doing compared to that target.

If your associates are not currently working toward their own individual targets, you’re leaving money on the table. You can expect a nice increase in sales when you make the change!

Addressing a concern…
We often hear that managers are hesitant to introduce individual targets for fear that the associates might start fighting for sales; in case it upsets the nice family feeling that exists in the store.

It’s true that a group of individuals, who are all trying to reach their goals, will have their moments and the Store Manager will need to manage through those. But, with the right disciplines and principles in place, it’s not that difficult. It’s just part of the job and Store Managers need to have, or acquire, the skills to do it. 

Driving sales through a group of high performance individuals is not something to be feared. It’s a great challenge to be embraced. And the results are worth it! 

One last thing…It may be a bit more difficult to assign individual targets in certain retail environments, but if you think hard enough, you can come up with a way to narrow down the team targets and results, that will allow you to measure and manage performance effectively.

Teamwork can be a wonderful thing. But it’s not always the best thing for the store.