It’s usually easy to come up with New Year’s resolutions for your personal life – go the gym, cut the carbs, stick to the family budget, and things like that. Resolutions for your business, though, can be a little more challenging to define. Resolutions are like goals – they should be actionable and attainable. Get started with these three resolutions specific to the convenience store industry.
Improve Teamwork
It may be true that there’s no “I” in team, but that doesn’t mean teamwork happens without individual effort. Strengthening your c-store team in 2017 starts with you. Specific strategies to meet this resolution include:
- Work with staff members to create specific team goals.
- Create an incentive program that improves team morale.
- Focus your training on team building exercises.
Be a Better Communicator
Communication is the foundation of leadership. In your role as a c-store manager, you have to communicate with many different people, including staff, vendors, bosses, and customers. To improve your communication skills for the new year, focus on these actions:
- Give constructive feedback.
- Learn key phrases in Spanish or another language.
- Practice active listening.
Decrease Turnover
The market for convenience store employees has tightened over the past few years, and that trend is likely to continue. Decreasing turnover is a three-pronged approach. Tailor your staffing resolutions to target these areas:
- Recruit more qualified candidates.
- Hire based on personality rather than skills.
- Retain more employees by promoting from within.
The key to being successful in the New Year isn’t about doing one thing exactly right. It’s about doing several things much better than you’ve been doing them. When you spend time on key goals such as improving teamwork, communicating more effectively, and decreasing turnover, you’ll find that managing day-to-day operations will get easier.
Training for 2017
Great managers are committed to ongoing training. Browse our learning library for ways to improve your training program in 2017.
