Area Leader 3 Month Public Program

The Ultimate Area Leader
3 Month Public Program
– Melbourne

March 2025 Intake

Are you a small or mid-size retailer?

Does this sound familiar? Is the feedback you hear from your area leaders that:

  • there are days when they feel as though they are rushing from store to store, juggling competing priorities, trying to meet all the needs of their stores.
  • they constantly struggle to manage wage costs while working hard to achieve sales targets.
  • they consistently need help locating experienced candidates to fill store manager roles.
  • their HR teams are stretched, trying to manage the growing number of “people issues” that should be area leaders’ responsibility.

The Ultimate Area Leader

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Area leaders are overwhelmingly busy and have the added frustration of knowing they are not working on the right things and getting the revenue or results that their hard work should reflect.

Area leaders are shouldering more responsibility than ever before while under pressure to achieve their expected budgets.

The truth is that area leaders are working longer hours than they should to keep everything on track, causing burnout and resulting in an unnecessary and costly turnover of area leaders.

It’s time for area leaders to access the tool kit, strategies, and support they need to set them up for success.

The role of the area leader is the most influential in retail. When done well, it is also the most rewarding.

The Ultimate Area Leader Public Program is ideal for retailers who wish to:

  • increase the retention and longevity of their area leaders

  • make the transition from store manager to area leader a seamless one

  • equip their area leaders with the skills and expertise to prepare and deliver store visits that have an impact

  • reduce the number of “people issues” that the HR team needs to resolve that should be dealt with by area leaders

The Environment

When asking what someone loves about their job, it usually relates to the environment, but this is the usually neglected aspect. A poor environment leads to high staff turnover and requires area leaders to spend time putting out fires and spend a lot of time and money to recruit to replace people (especially store managers). It makes good business sense to invest time and effort in this area. To create an environment where people are connected to their region and feel valued, appreciated, and strive to achieve results because they care about their region, brand, and customers.

The Strategy

The business will have an overarching strategy, focusing on key pillars that will achieve the results you are striving for if implemented well. When area leaders are unclear of the strategy and their role in the implementation, they will not have a clear direction, and as a result, store visits will be lacking focus and outcomes. area leaders can significantly impact anyone in your business to implement key strategies such as communication, marketing and product initiatives, and succession planning.

Results

Results are an outcome of how well you create a happy and positive environment and how well key business strategies are implemented. When results aren’t being achieved, it will be because of one or both of these not being in place Recognising that results are dependent on the environment, you create and the strategies you implement. This is the role of every area leader.

TELL ME MORE!

What the Ultimate Area Leader Public Program covers:

The Ultimate Area Leader programs provide systems and processes to build their confidence, capability and capacity and set them up for success. The program teaches core skills such as:

Build An Environment That Maximises Store Performance

  • The role of the area leader-what it is and what it isn’t

  • Learn the mindset that an area leader needs to be successful

  • Understand the key attributes of a successful area leader

  • Building a community across your stores that align to achieve area results

  • Create and manage high expectations for stores

The Must Have Behaviours For Area Leader Success

  • Improving retention by understanding why people leave and what you can do to fix it

  • Prioritising and managing time

  • Effectively planning and maximising store visits

  • The art of coaching and giving feedback

  • Building a bulletproof succession plan for store manager roles

  • Engaging and retaining your casual workforce

  • Creating a 90 day plan for success

What the Ultimate Area Leader Public Program includes:

  • four days of face-to-face training

  • group dinner on the evening of day 1

  • group coaching circles
  • a copy of “The Essential Guide for Area Leaders in Retail”

  • morning tea and lunch on all four days

  • all program materials, tools and templates

  • access to me throughout the duration of the program

PRICE

$2,395+ GST b
(Book before 31
st December 2024)

$2,695+ GST
(From the 1st January 2025)

Four days of Area Leader face-to-face development

Day 1

Tue 4th March, 2025
11 am – 5 pm
Group dinner 6pm

Day 2

Wed 5th March, 2025
9 am – 3 pm

Day 3

Thur 3rd April, 2025
10 am – 4 pm

Day 4

Thu 15th May, 2025
10 am – 4pm

The Ultimate Area Leader Public Program means you can still develop your area leader team by enrolling in the public program.

  • Share and learn from other area leaders from other retailers
  • A cost-effective way to provide development for your area leaders
  • Benchmark results after completing the program

Would you like to invest in your area leaders in a cost-effective way?

The Area leader role is the most influential role in retail. Investing in your Area Leaders is a powerful way to meet your leadership priorities for 2024 and beyond.

What my clients say

The program taught me how to engage with my peers and create a support network I could lean on.

Learning about the key motivators that improve retention and engagement has given me a greater appreciation and understanding of my team.

I can now build a sense of community and encourage and mentor my team to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. I have more confidence in my ability to lead, express my own needs, and apply the skills I’ve learned in various roles.

Danielle McRorie | Area Manager, Sketchers
I have enjoyed learning about different ways to get the best out of my team, and I have learned different ways to approach situations. Each session built on the previous one, which enabled me to implement concepts taught in each session. I have learned that there is so much more to my job than what I was doing previously. I now have various tools to make sure I am using my time efficiently and can continue to develop my skill set.
Monica Milowski | Area Manager, The Athlete’s Foot

Being a new Area Manager, I used The Ultimate Area Leader program to help me build my ‘style’ and find what I was comfortable with and what worked for me.

The Ultimate Area Leader program was the perfect balance of being hands-on, giving direct feedback on situations, and trying new things.

I can now focus on the crucial day-to-day requirements and spend less time on things that aren’t relevant. My store visits are more productive and impactful. I head into stores with a plan, execute and feel much more worthwhile and relevant as an Area Manager.

Toby Plant | Area Manager, The Athlete's Foot Vic/Tas
I had the pleasure of working with Alison as part of a 6 month ‘Retail General Managers and State Managers’ leadership program. Her passion for leadership and development is evident in all she does and her commitment to helping others become the best version of themselves is inspiring.

Not only has Alison provided the tools, strategies and techniques to develop our leadership skills and grown our business, she has shown tremendous compassion and understanding on a personal level which, in turn, paved the way to a wonderful culture shift of ‘people first, employees second’.

Our time with Alison was both beneficial and motivating and I look forward to working with her in the future.

Maria Silverii, Blue Illusion
Alison’s knowledge and experience radiated through her training. The entire group walked away from her sessions feeling confident towards our roles.

Alison provided a professional nurturing open room for everyone to be actively involved. The most informative training session I have attended in my 17 years of Retail, I walked away looking at my business from another angle.

Communication, Personality type and Control and influence were major learnings for me that I have implemented straight into my business, which has had immediate effect.

Phillip Macintyre, Regional Leader NSW & ACT
Alison supports the business on multiple levels. As HR Manager, I really value having an objective perspective on some of the challenges we’ve faced over an extremely tough period. Alison has worked with us extensively on senior leader performance. We have an open and honest working relationship that I truly value.

Alison is an empathetic, inspirational leader who has assisted us in working towards a team-first culture. I look forward to continuing this journey together next year.

Kyla Smith, Pancake Parlour

FREE ASSESSMENT

The Empowered Area Leader Indicator

Find out your score to develop your store managers, increase retention, exceed budget and create high performing stores.

Alison Crabb

‘If you keep doing what you have always done,
you’ll keep getting the same results.’

About Alison

Through building a culture of excellence, I lead the largest division within the Flight Centre Travel Group, which delivered the companies most profit globally for eight consecutive years. My focus on continuing improvement saw my division recognised as the groups most improved division for six of those eight years.

I am an expert in retail operations and leadership, leading teams and teaching others to create an environment of trust, purpose and inspired culture, where people work cohesively towards shared goals.

Notable Career Achievements:

  • lead multiple brands simultaneously under Flight Centre Travel Group
  • was responsible for delivering results in over 200 stores, opening in excess of 100 new stores as an area leader and state leader
  • delivered profit from $18 million to $49 million in 8 years
  • winner of the Director’s award for Global Outstanding Achievement
  • finalist in Telstra’s Business Woman of the Year

Organisations I’ve Worked With