Choosing Who to Promote

One of any retail storeowner’s biggest concerns is who is in charge when you are not in the store. Many of you live in your stores, or they are at least a major part of your life. Some lucky individuals have your family work with you and some of you have had your children grow up in your stores. Taking time away from the shop becomes easier if you have a family member there minding the counter for you.

Someday though, an event will come up that your entire family needs to attend, hopefully a fun family event. Maybe your children are still young and your spouse wants to get away while the children are off of school in summer, who will be in charge then?

Picking your replacement is very important. Mr. Murphy’s Law loves to raise his head at the worst possible moments, and you need to start preparing today for that. Who you promote or turn the keys over to when you’re gone can and should be a very tough decision for you.

Some store owners will simply go by seniority. This is very cut and dry and should cause little controversy, yet is sometimes not the best decision. Loyalty should never be looked down upon, but loyalty doesn’t transfer into leadership ability.

Dependability is always another area you need to consider. Having your replacement not showing up for work on time can cause a disaster, or they could let work go undone while you are gone, creating more work for you when you return to the store.

How you decide who to choose is a personal matter, and you need to be prepared to back your decision up once you make it. In every group of employees there is someone who thinks they are the best person for the job, yet usually they are the one who isn’t chosen. Their feathers may get ruffled, and they might walk away, are you prepared for that? It is an extreme example, but we live in a world of quick decisions without the thought of the consequences. Choose wisely and fairly and your decision should pay off handsomely.

If you have a trip planned for this summer or fall, you need to give your new replacement a chance to show his or her abilities. Let them play the role of manager while you are in the store, this way you can ensure your choice was correct. Next, leave them in charge for a morning or a whole day. If they do well, try a weekend or a few weekdays next. Build them up and correct them when they make a mistake. This is who will be representing you while you are gone, make sure they are up to the task.

Understand they make different decisions than you may; you need to learn to live with that and make sure their decisions do not cause problems for you. Help them realize why you do things the way you do and trust their instincts, you chose them for a reason.

The final tip on choosing your stand-in manager is to have faith in them and enjoy yourself while you are away from the store. What issues have you run into while picking a manager, or leaving someone else in charge while you are away? Share your thoughts with us all on our Facebook page.