Posts by Michael Patrick
Turn Powerful Retail Insights into Results: Introducing Our Newest DiSC® Profiles
DiSC® profiles provide powerful insights for retail managers and leaders. It’s why the Everything DiSC® survey has been a mainstay of our retail training programs. It serves as a foundational learning and self-awareness tool as leaders develop their interpersonal skills and strategies to improve retail business outcomes. Now, with the addition of two new DiSC…
Read MoreMOHR Retail to Donate Virtual Instructor-Led Training and Microlearning to Retailers This Summer
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated retail businesses and, as a result, their training budgets. But as stores reopen, the leadership and other interpersonal skills that once were essential are now critical. Resetting expectations, overseeing compliance on health and safety, and coaching in real-time to adjust service levels are just a few of the situations that…
Read MoreChange Leadership Advice for Retail Multiunit and Store Support Leaders
Dealing with constant change has always been part of the job in retail, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Even tougher: successfully leading others through change. District, regional, and other multiunit managers know this all too well. So do the merchant and store support leaders working in HQ and DC locations. Leading change requires getting…
Read MoreRetail Negotiation in an Age of Disruption
For a job that’s always been tough, retail negotiations is getting that much tougher. Not only are the vendors being tightly squeezed in terms of profitability, they’re feeling the effects of change in the broader retail environment, from new and continually changing customer demands to a fluctuating, uncertain market to unexpected variables like natural disasters.…
Read MoreFor Top Retailers, Learning Never Ends
We work with retail managers and leaders who often have been in the industry for a long time — sometimes ten, twenty, or even thirty years. If the group I’m training is more senior, I’ll start the session by asking that very question: “Raise your hand if you’ve been in the industry for five years,…
Read MoreRetail Leadership Hacks: Breaking it down and boosting results
We’ve been talking about “retail leadership hacks” with clients lately — those bite-sized nuggets of insight that can deliver a quick hit in terms of productivity, performance, and results. Sometimes a small change or genius little shortcut can make all the difference in the impact we make as leaders and in the results our teams…
Read MoreHow Store Leaders Can Shape Associate Behavior in Real Time
In any retail store, there are many activities happening out on the floor at any given time. That’s why successful store managers are constantly reading cues and making quick decisions about whether to jump in tactically or let things roll. Most importantly, if coaching is needed to strengthen an associate’s interaction with customers or others,…
Read MoreThe Essential Retail Leadership Skills for Worn-Out Multiunit Managers
“Do more with less.” Is there any more tired phrase? In retail, though, it is, without a doubt, the everyday reality. Retail multiunit managers are struggling to deal with effective execution in the stores, retention issues, labor shortages, pressures on payroll, online competition, and on and on. These issues are always present to some degree,…
Read MoreMicrolearning Raises the Game for Retail Management Training
No matter how powerful a learning experience is, the bigger question on the minds of today’s retail executives is this: What do we have to show for it? When it comes to retention of key concepts, we know that people are up against the forgetting curve. Without effective reinforcement, what’s here today could easily be…
Read MoreDon’t Ignore the Leadership Development Needs of Store Support Leaders
Retailers rarely question the value of spending time and money on developing leaders in their field organizations. Regionals, DMs, store managers, and even assistants in stores receive formal and informal development and resources to help them hone their leadership ability and skills. But when we conducted national research with a number of retailers, we found…
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