WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

You must create win-win relationships.

Everyone values different wins. Employees who do not value what you value are not necessarily good or bad; it just makes them different. Do not lose good people because of this.

Win-win relationships must work both ways. If you find wins only working one way, not benefiting the business and the relationships, that is not an issue with the concept. It is an issue with the execution. It’s perfectly appropriate to set up wins for your people. Still, it should be communicated it is with the expectation that there will also be a win for the business relationship. You may be willing to rework a schedule or guideline or take their development seriously. Still, it is with the expectation that this does not mean lower productivity is acceptable, deadlines missed, or results suffer to honor that employee win. Ideally you are setting up win-win relationships to enhance employee and business relationships, improving performance by improving morale, tenure, trust, results, and so on.

You should be prepared. A win-win relationship may mean that, eventually, people will move on or get promoted outside of your store. You must be okay with this. Appreciate the service you received and wish them well in their new adventure. This is precisely what you would want from your leader in that situation, yes? (this is called paying it forward) You cannot promote win-win relationships AND hold people back from earned opportunities without appearing disingenuous. Additionally, you cannot prematurely or improperly promote or promote the wrong people without appearing unserious.

If you generate your wins at the expense of others or your team, you may be in a leadership position, but you’re no leader. Not because I said it, but because your people will think so, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise. To those who solely train/develop people to get by or to the point it benefits you and not your people, I’d add this. You are turning what could be an excellent learning and growing career experience for your people into a dead-end job. Once your people figure out you only train to the point, it benefits you, and you stop teaching and coaching, they notice and move on. You know who else notices? The second tier of people who watch those assistants leave and begin to question why they are still working in what you make look like a dead-end job.

This is why we create win-win relationships –

This is why we do what we do –