Fostering Excitement Within Your Team

One of the best times in retail can be during the busy holiday seasons. For me personally, the big crows and constant excitement were great motivation. I feel that teams truly come together during these time and work well together. There is something about large crowds that motivates staff and gets them excited about doing their job. The holidays are also a time to connect with your customers through helping them find meaningful gifts for their loved ones. No other time of year beats the excitement that it can generate.

While working as a manager at a retail store, some of the local summer events were another exciting time for the staff. In that particular area of retail, there can be many slow months. I noticed once the summer crowds would swarm the souvenir store, the staff just jumped into action. Seeing this made me realize that people want to perform well in organizations and thrive when they feel that they are capable of stepping up to the challenges that unexpected situations might bring them. It fostered a sense of healthy competition as well. Some of the cashiers wanted to see how fast they could accurately ring people up, how many people they can help, and how many customers they can please. I personally loved the sight of seeing a line of ten people at my register get whittled down to one because of my pace. Customers would enter a long line, sighing at the possibility that it might take a long time to get rung up. I loved hearing people two or three customers back say “Wow, that went quick!”

During slow months it might be more difficult to garner that kind of pace and motivation from your employees. I noticed that many people move more slowly at their duties during months of little sales activity. Slow months can be a drain on employee morale in the retail industry. No one likes the idea of not seeing a single customer for long periods of time. Although busy times can be fun and motivational for employees, I think that it is important for manager to encourage the same attitude and lead with a positive atmosphere all year long.

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