Show Them How to Do It Wrong
Your impact is related to how you fail.
Hey Travelers,
It’s night here on the west coast. I’m getting into this newsletter a bit late in the day but that’s okay. The back door is open and the air is cool. It’s been a good week.
I got a new toy for the dog this week. It’s a toy that looks like a stick. That’s funny to me. It also had a squeaker - he ripped it out in less than an hour. He ran amok with that thing tonight and now he’s asleep by the front door. Guarding. Asleep on the job, I’d say.
I wrote a lot this week and I listened to a lot of people talk about leadership - podcasts and such. I’m going to share an article I wrote about failure.
One thing I think is missing in leadership, especially in retail, is the human aspect. We need to show people how to do it wrong. Show them how you have failed and how they can do it better. Let them see that you are not perfect. That’s how you get people to stick around and want to keep working for you.
If you haven’t signed up to follow me on my Medium page, please do. I’m creating in a few different ways to be sure not to miss out! You can find a link at the bottom of this email. Have a great weekend out there everyone. Snag a bit of sunshine when you can and surround yourself with people that you don’t hate.
Peace,
Kit
Show Them How to Do It Wrong
Have you ever had a leader that seemed perfect? They didn’t make mistakes. They showed you the right way to do everything. “This is what works for me,” they tell you while you’re still trying to sort out what buttons to press and where to file things.
New jobs are overwhelming. That’s why people don’t leave jobs they hate. It’s hard to start somewhere new. You have to learn everyone’s names and figure out who the suck-ups are. Figure out who you can trust. It’s a lot. How do we make that process easier? How do I make myself relatable to someone who is just starting their career?
The lightbulb
I recently listened to a podcast where Simon Sinek interviewed Brigadier General Michael “Johnny Bravo” Drowley. Not only is he a distinguished airman and amazing leader — it’s what he said about his kids that gave me another way to look at training and leading people. He said when he’s teaching his kids stuff, he tells them how he got it wrong. What mistakes he made so that they can learn from them.
While I had never thought of doing this on purpose, this is something I do all the time without realizing it. I pass along the stories of my mistakes so that my team can learn from them. It also connects us on a human level. They see me make mistakes and it’s not a big deal, I fix it, I move on. I’m here now so that means I got over it.
Hopefully, they will be more willing to try new things. They may be less intimidated by what is new or unknown. It also opens the door for them to ask questions.
It’s the little things — and the big ones.
We sell shoes at my store. Okay, no big deal. The left shoe goes on display, the right shoe gets the sensor. It took me years to remember that! I don’t even know why. Probably because it’s not that big of a deal, I could always ask someone if I couldn’t remember. But I share that with people now. Don’t worry about it, just ask. We’ll help you out.
I can’t remember everything and I don’t expect you to either.
When I’m training new managers I show them what not to do with their deposit. So many people make mistakes. They leave it on the counter, fold it up in their closing binder, leave it on the desk. All wrong. It goes in the safe. Get it there; do not get distracted. One of your main jobs as a manager is to keep money secure. Don’t leave it out unattended. I don’t care how much you trust your associates. Most of the other things we do are not a big deal.
We sell clothes. Not that much can go wrong, honestly. If you make a mistake it’s okay. Learn from it and move on.
Retail managers take themselves way too seriously for the most part. It’s funny to me. We literally sell clothes. Be a good human. Make someone’s day easier. Be a kind leader. Go home. We’re not saving lives so get over it.
One of the great things about retail is that when you leave the building, you leave it all there. When I’m not at work I don’t think about work too much. As a Store Manager, there is absolutely no way for me to work from home — so I don’t. I live my life. That’s the point, right?
The process
Failure is essential to success. As leaders, it is our job to hi-lite that.
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” — Samuel Beckett
I didn’t just wake up one day and find keys to a building on my dining room table. I didn’t know someone who got me a job. I worked consistently. I said yes to every change of location and crumby task. I failed, a lot.
I worked too hard, not efficiently. I focused on the little things, not the big ones. I have worked in really small buildings, with very few staff members and no payroll so when I opened in the morning it was just me. I had to count money, clean the store, receive shipments, and help customers. By myself.
I finally decided that I wanted to learn how to run large management teams so I left, went to another company, and learned how to do that. I failed even more at the next store. But I also learned, right? I learned way more than I bargained for and that’s good. It led me to my current job which I like. I have an impact now and that’s what’s most important to me.
I now realize that it is essential to show someone how to do it wrong. If you don’t fail, you cannot succeed.
The takeaway
What is this need to display perfection as a leader? It’s an unattainable goal so why promote it? I’m trying to train and retain staff. If I show them that I am a human that has a life outside the building, they may want to learn from me. If I can show them that I mess up too, they may be able to relate to me.
Nobody wants to learn from someone who is “perfect”. Nobody wants to learn from someone who is a workaholic. Why would anyone want to be a manager if they think they have to work all the time and not make any mistakes? Sounds terrible.
You have an impact too, no matter what you do for work. You impact those around you in small ways. Small, important ways. Show people that it’s okay to mess up. Show them that it’s okay to fail.
Show them how to do it wrong.