Organizational Communication - Leadership in Retail Brian Villwock - November 9th, 2016

1. LeadershipinRetail
By: Brian Villwock

2. LeadershipinRetail
There is a big difference between managing and leading…
- “Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities
to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual’s
ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute
toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration
separate leaders from managers, not power and control.” (Nayar,
2013)

3. LeadershipinRetail
- “A leadership style generally results from the way in which a
manager or leader applies his personality and temperament to the
people and business decisions he manages.” (Kokemuller)
- “In a retail business, the approach a store manager takes in
leading can significantly impact the culture for both employees
and customers.” (Kokemuller)

4. LeadershipinRetail -Roles&Responsibilities
There are several roles & responsibilities a leader must take on in
a retail environment, including…
- Instruction & Training
- Lead by Example
- Communication
- Motivate, Praise, Criticize & Reward

5. Instruction&Training
- In retail, a leader must provide employees with
instructions and training to give them skills &
an advantage in the workplace.
- This could include help with company policies,
equipment, closing sales, product knowledge,
answering questions, problem solving,
computer/system guidance, etc.
- Training focuses on properly orienting employees
with their job.

6. LeadbyExample
- Leaders typically work behind the scenes in retail, but often
must intervene with employee/customer interactions.
- Leaders must provide an example by treating the customer in
exactly the same manner in which they want team members to treat
the customer.
- Leaders should be helpful, polite & respectful. If a customer
becomes irritated or aggressive, leaders must maintain composure
and deal with the hostility by following company policy.

7. Communication
- Leaders must complete
their responsibilities
while remaining in
contact with the rest of
their employees.
- Leaders must act as a
liaison between employees
and other management.

8. Communication
- Leaders must field complaints
from employees and handle them
accordingly, or refer them to
the appropriate department
(upper management, HR, etc.)
- Leaders must be socially aware
and pay attention to nonverbals
so that they can read both their
employees and customers and be
proactive to different
situations.

9. Motivate,Praise,Criticize&Reward
- Leaders must motivate employees
to reach goals or requirements,
consistently encourage their
employees to work smarter &
harder.
- It’s good to praise an employee
who performs well or reaches a
goal. Leaders often use them as
an example for other employees,
as well.

10. Motivate,Praise,Criticize&Reward
- Leaders often present
rewards such as
"employee of the
month" or bonuses.
- Offer constructive
criticism to employees
to help them improve
and reach company
goals.

11. TaskDirection
- Leaders often delegate tasks to employees.
- Leaders must motivate employees to complete specific job
functions or tasks effectively and efficiently.
- Task-oriented leaders must have the ability to quickly react
and implement decisions related to customer problems and
operational dilemmas.

12. 2typesofLeadership:Transactionalvs.Transformational
- Transactional: Based on traditional forms of management, which
focuses on leader-follower, tasks & group performance.
- Transformational: The leader works with employees to identify
needed changes and works together as a team to implement those
changes. Maximizes the capacity of employees, inspiring them to
give their best.
Both of these types of leaders exist in retail. Both types can
affect the workplace.

13. CultureRisk
- Transactional or overly task-oriented
leaders don’t focus on people.
- Can cause employees to feel as though
the leader doesn't care about them.
- Leads to employee burnout, lack of
team chemistry and low employee
morale.
- Can lead to high turnover & an
inability to work as a team.

14. ConsiderationofPeople
- Transformational leaders
emphasize relationship
ability in their style.
- Spend time interacting with
employees on a personal
level & developing
relationships.

15. ConsiderationofPeople
- Usually leads to better results
in building a team-oriented,
fun culture. Team-centered
employees are more likely to
fill in for coworkers or pick
up the slack when others have
an off-day.
- A positive workplace leads to a
better environment for
customers, as well.

16. FindingBalance - Effective leaders balance
employee relationships
with task-direction.
- Employees work more
effectively & efficiently
if they feel the manager
cares about them, but also
communicates & maintains
performance expectations.

17. FindingBalance - Overly relational-oriented
leaders can cause
employees to feel little
pressure to perform,
leading to less motivation
to reach goals.
- Effective employees also
find balance in serving
customers & completing
tasks efficiently.

18. Framing
- Effective leaders tap into
the power of language so
that they can persuade
employees and communicate
credibly in the workplace.
- “Leaders often cannot
control events, but they
can control the context
under which events are seen
if they recognize a framing
opportunity.”

19. Framing
- There are many ways in which leaders can
using framing in communication in the
workplace, including using metaphors,
stories, jargon and spinning situations
to fit a goal.
- An effective leader in retail can take a
situation such as not meeting store
budget and frame it to say, “We didn’t
hit our budget this quarter, but that
means our bonus potential for next
quarter is even greater.”

20. Bibliography
Kokemuller, Neil. (n.d.) The impact of a leadership style on a retail store.
Chron. Retrieved from www.smallbusiness.chron.com/
Mott, Ashley. (n.d.) Role of a team member in retail. Chron. Retrieved from
www.smallbusiness.chron.com/
Nayar, Vineet. (2013, August 2) Three differences between managers and
leaders. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from www.hbr.org

21. THEEND!
Thank You!