Why Your Team Won’t Back Your Plans (And the Simple Fix Bob Negen Shared)

Last week, the Impact Retail Success Club had the privilege of being joined by retail legend Bob Negen.

Now, Bob said a lot of smart things, but one line walloped me right between the eyes.

Something I encourage all business owners to do.

ADD: Ask. Discuss. Decide.

A simple idea, but it exposes a habit I’ve found many retailers to share.

You and I included.

See, we’re all brilliant at talking about the challenges in our businesses.

We can all chew the ear off about staff headaches, margin pressure, seasonal chaos.

Basically, anyone who stands still long enough gets the full rant.

Everyone except the one group of people who could actually help: your team.

Bob’s point was spot on, if you want people to back a decision, involve them in it.

Let them help write the plan, and they won’t fight the plan.

It’s daft really.

We expect staff to magically “get it,” but we don’t give them the space to talk things through.

We carry the whole load between our ears, convincing ourselves we’re being “efficient,” when really, we’re just making it harder.

So, here’s your challenge for this week:

Where could you use ADD?

Where could a five-minute conversation save you five hours of frustration?

Because growth isn’t just about selling more.

It’s about creating a team that solves problems with you, instead of waiting for you to solve everything for them.

And that’s exactly the kind of conversation we had in The Impact Retail Success Club, retailers sharing ideas, admitting the messy bits, and finding simple ways to make the business easier.

Have a great week.

Mark