Page 213 - DMGT550_RETAIL_MANAGEMENT

Retail Management

Notes page. So why is it that many organizations continue to do things the old way? You might hear
the old adages: “change is hard, we do not have the budget for such customization this year,
(insert your own phrase here), etc.” Motivation is not just paying people more or offering them
more perks and bonuses. Has anyone seen or taken an MBA course on how to motivate your
employees that entails more than reviewing Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs? I believe that
managers in this new economy and beyond need a different set of skills in order to harness the
potential of knowledge workers.
Most managers understand that part of their job is to motivate and engage their employees.
Some of the typical avenues might be: one on one status meetings, periodic outings for lunch or
coffee, or maybe sitting in on project meetings to see how things are going. These three instances
are an example that there is ample opportunity and time to customize an employee’s motivation.
So why does it not happen on a regular basis?
When customizing an employee’s motivation a manager needs to be skilled at understanding
the employee’s four drives; Acquire and Achieve, Bond and Belong, Challenge and
Comprehend, and Defend and Define. Once they understand their employee’s individual four
drives the next step is to discover what the employee is not saying about what motivates and
drives them. Many times when you ask someone, “What Motivates You?” they will probably
give you an answer fairly quickly – but by digging and reflecting a little bit deeper into their
answer you may discover something else entirely. There is more to motivating employees than
just utilizing one model and tools.
The four drive model is a good start but a manager also needs to understand reflective questioning
techniques, asking open ended questions, utilizing gap analysis, and paying attention to body
language, etc. Managers need to customize their motivational methods based on these insights.
For instance, Employee A really likes to be seen as an expert – so provide opportunities for that
person to shine and be recognized as the expert (i.e., lead a brown bag lunch, ask them to help
present at a Senior Leadership meeting about something they know well). Employee B wants to
feel part of a close knit group so create avenues for that to happen (i.e., hold small team lunches
with two or three people, set up small work teams to address some particular issue). Employee
C has the drive to Acquire so the manager must focus that person on what they can do to earn
more (i.e., review the incentive or recognition program with them, work with them on what
they need to do to get a raise). The important part is to understand how each person is motivated
and to tap into that motivation. This isn’t easy.
As I stated in the beginning of this post, every person on the planet is unique. Managers have an
incredible opportunity to develop and grow their employees but it will take adopting and
learning some new skills and a genuine time commitment.

Employees are more than just their paycheck; they are each contributing their time, skills,
knowledge, and talents to an organization. I believe they deserve our time and attention, what
about you?
Motivating Your Retail Sales Staff

Keep a Positive Mindset

Retail is a day to day business. Some days you are HOT and some days your NOT. Don’t buy into
the down economy. This is not a bad economy - the US will experience a 10 trillion dollar
economy this year alone. There is a lot of money to go around! If you are doing the right things
to market your business and staying in touch with your customers on a regular basis they will
return after your slow period of summer vacations, back to school, etc.

208 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY