In Blog# 114 I talked about more change in the East Bay. In this blog I want to talk about having a strong vision.

Geevy was our regional, and he handed out a Self-Empowerment card I carried with me at all times. For me it was a reminder. So many times we get caught in the daily routine, we lose sight of things.

When we had our regional strategy meetings to go over the vision, we would always start with our number one goal to improve on. It was always Customer service. 

This card reminded me of  not losing sight of the basics, or telling your team the “little things” they are doing right instead of just the opportunities. Carrying this card reminded me that I was put into the position to make these decisions.

Kaaren

Kaaren was a great Leader. She was Empathetic but had high standards. As well as being kind, thoughtful and she had a good sense of humor. Most importantly, Kaaren took the time to sort out troubleshooting measures to move forward. In addition, she was good at communication and explained things clearly.

Southcoast rivalry

Beating Southcoast last year must have been a wake-up call for them because we were running neck and neck all year. The major sales events were quickly approaching and I felt good about all the special buys I placed for each event. We were primed to have some really good increases.

The Vision

During the weeks before the sale events, we coached the teams on service and working the personal books. We made sure the stockroom was easy to navigate. Did stock walks frequently to make sure we had the best stuff in stock. Candice and Aaron also communicated to the team what the goals were in team meetings.

For the Anniversary event, I’d have department meetings and share my vision on the buy. It was import to educate the team on why I bought things the way I did, whether it was a trend or just a hot item I felt strong about. Plus, It was important to share these things so everyone is on the same page. When its chaotic you don’t always have the luxury to ponder these things because you are running. Bottom line was, I felt good about it and could hardly wait to get started.

The events in a lot of ways could make or break your year. This is why I always feel having a strong vision is so important. We planned the events by buying closeouts and key items to drive the business. Educated our team so they could sell the items in the right way. Candice  also had meetings to prepare for outliers and how to troubleshoot them.