Becoming an Area Leader is often a career move born of ambition —  a drive to achieve more, make a difference in the business, and have an impact on the people they lead.

Area Leaders who typically achieve the best results are given expectations and empowered with the confidence that they have the support when needed. They have room to grow and ultimately reach their potential. That’s motivating, exciting and good for them and the business.

What happens when we don’t empower Area Leaders?

Working with many Area Leaders, they share their experiences of feeling micro-managed and disempowered, sometimes unclear of the decisions they can and cannot make.
There is often a fear that they might make mistakes, and mistakes can be costly.

But have you considered the cost of not empowering Area Leaders?

Area Leaders who have a high need for growth are good for the business as they usually achieve the best results. However, when that need for growth cannot be met with you, they will look elsewhere. The result is you lose a valuable leader.

We know that Area Leaders have more influence in stores’ performance than anyone else in the business. The good news is that you can feel confident that by empowering your Area Leaders: they will usually make good decisions; have more ownership; and consistently meet their need for growth.

How can you empower your Area Leaders?

Here are some tips:

1. Set clear expectations of what you expect of your Area Leaders and manage those expectations.
2. Be more transparent about the business vision, goals, plans, and how the business is tracking. When it comes to strategy, Area Leaders will have far more influence on implementation than any other leader in the business.
3. Share important information and KPIs so Area Leaders can use that knowledge to make informed decisions.
4. Give them a voice. Ask their opinion.
5. Your Area Leaders are a vital conduit between what needs to happen within the support functions and what happens in stores. You want that link to be strong.

Harness the spark of passion in your Area Leaders —  fuel them, and they will burn bright for your business.

 

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