The People Behind the Performance

When I think of retail in November, I think of Thanksgiving, and the many people whose contributions give us reason to be grateful.

Every purchase connects the seasonal associate who assisted the customer to the buyer who selected the product, the planner who anticipated demand, the marketing team that inspired the visit, and the distribution center teams who processed and shipped the merchandise.

While months of planning, preparation, and teamwork come together in that purchase customers — and even store associates — may never see all the people who helped make it possible.

This Thanksgiving, let’s recognize the people behind the performance, throughout our stores and across the teams that support them:

• Buyers, planning, and allocation teams, who make product decisions well before the season.
• Marketing teams, who create the messages that bring customers into stores and onto websites.
• DC teams, who receive, process, ticket, and ship merchandise.
• Seasonal and tenured associates, who bring product knowledge and service skills to life.
• Key holders, department managers, and assistant and store leaders, who keep the day moving and the stores staffed, cleaned, stocked and maintained.
• Home office partners, who help resolve the issues behind the scenes and sometimes even pull a shift in the stores on weekends.

Let’s also recognize and appreciate those front-of-the-house house holiday elves:

• District and regional teams, who provide direction, coaching, and support.
• Store associates, who provide exceptional customer experiences and help customers find what they need, all with patience and good cheer.
• Store leadership teams, including key holders, department managers, assistant managers, and store leaders, who keep stores staffed, clean, stocked, and ready to serve.

How can leaders at every level show appreciation this season?

Recognize the effort behind the outcome.
Leaders show people what matters through what they notice, acknowledge, and reinforce. While sales reports capture results, they don’t tell the whole story — the coaching that helps a new hire succeed, the thoughtful handoff that prepares the next shift, or the early action that prevents a staffing or service problem from blowing up. Look for cues and recognize the everyday contributions that make strong performance results possible.

Connect individual contributions to the bigger picture.
“Thank you for your hard work” is warm, but specific appreciation helps people understand their impact. What did they do? Who benefited? Why did it matter to the customer and to the organization?

Let appreciation influence how you lead.
Gratitude becomes more meaningful when leaders also listen, clarify changing priorities, remove an obstacle, or follow through on a request for help. Especially during peak season, appreciation should be reflected in how leaders support their teams every day.