75 Ways to Build a Retail Performance Culture Worth Millions

Did you ever wonder how some retailers manage to build a superb performance culture within a retail organization?

You know, that culture that makes people outperform all others; the culture that inspires everyone and turns average employees into Super Heroes?

Retail Performance Culture

Would you like to know how to do it in your organization?

Here you go…75 Ways to build a retail performance culture that can be worth millions in sales!

1. Decide what performance means in your organization

2. Write it down

3. Never stop communicating that message

4. Check for understanding at all levels

5. Be consistent in expectations

6. Decide who is forming or building the culture and make sure that person is highly visible

7. Appoint Cultural Ambassadors

8. Set the standards of performance

9. Write them down

10. Never stop communicating the standards

11. Know your numbers

12. Speak to the numbers every chance you get

13. Never speak about anything being more important than the numbers

14. Walk the talk…always

15. Be reasonable but always have high expectations

16. Never let a good deed go unnoticed

17. Never let a bad deed go unnoticed

18. Don’t mess around trying to fix things that aren’t broken

19. Always strive to improve processes

20. Performance must be measurable in every area of the company

21. Ensure understanding of performance standards at all levels

22. Publish, post and communicate all performance standards

23. Provide incentives for individual performance

24. Provide incentives for team performance

25. Hire performance oriented individuals – ask this – tell me how your performance has been measured and viewed in the past and how would your level of performance benefit this company (Difficult to answer but you’ll find out a lot – remain silent)

26. Top down – bottom up – meet in the middle

27. Build a strong foundation

28. Make unbreakable rules – not all of them, just some

29. C Level must all be true believers, otherwise replace them

30. Send memo’s reminding everyone about the culture and what it means to the company and the employees

31. Celebrate performance

32. Reward performance

33. Do all succession planning based on performance

34. Punish non-performance

35. Train

36. Coach

37. Coach again

38. Spread good news

39. Limit the spread of bad news

40. Show appreciation of good performance

41. Thank people for a job well done

42. Pay people well

43. Offer benefits to employees

44. Invite employees to special functions

45. Beware expense reductions in the wrong places

46. Think before you act on anything that will affect customers

47. Think before you act on anything that will affect employees

48. Coach for empowerment

49. Understand the different levels of employee readiness

50. Offer explanations where appropriate

51. Get more good employees through referrals

52. Be credible in everything you say

53. Build trust

54. Have no fear

55. Stay outside of your comfort level

56. Know your purpose

57. Lead from the front

58. Don’t ever give in when you’re right

59. Be consistent in everything you do

60. Communicate over and over and over

61. Be a monster if you must (but only temporarily)

62. Be a pushover when that’s what’s called for

63. Explore other performance cultures and use the good stuff you find

64. Invite performers into the winners circle

65. Respect your customers

66. Respect your peers

67. Respect your subordinates

68. Respect your suppliers

69. Be a ‘dog with a bone’

70. Humiliate no one

71. Reprimand in private

72. Praise in public

73. Use humor every chance you get

74. Don’t take good times for granted

75. Prepare for the bad times but never accept them

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