Coaching Techniques Every Busy Retail Manager Needs to Know

Kayleigh Fazan
Oct 7
4 min read

Managing a retail team and a store, can feel like you’re walking through fire while jumping hoops and trying to be breezy about it.

I know….crazy right?

BUT stay with me, because I may not be able to put out the fire myself, I certainly can give you the tools to do it.

After these leadership and team culture hacks, coaching and managing your team won’t be one of the million tasks you don’t have the time to do.

I know you can manage a team, and if the world was full of rainbows and sunshine, you would have the time to do it the way you want it to.

But you’re busy. You have responsibilities, the day sometimes goes by and you don’t even know how it ended.

So in this busy, everyday setting, how does one keep their team happy? How do they manage to reeeaaally ✨manage✨?

Let me help you with some really useful tips and tricks, because I feel you, I know the load, I’ve been there…and sometimes, it gets ugly 👀.

I’m not here to give you optimized solutions that are waaay out of reach, I’m here to give you a guide that is easy to understand, doable but makes ALL the difference in the world.

Without further ado…this is your guiding light💡 for the dark busy days.

1. Ask, don't tell

First thing’s first. If you hand everything to your team on a silver platter, they’ll switch to autopilot.

Invite them in on the decisions. They need to feel included.

Also, a manager isn’t an all-performing robot. You want your team to perform at their best? Don’t pull out instructions manuals. Don’t just tell them everything.

Inclusion fuels performance. And how do you include them? With questions!

Being everywhere all at once and telling everyone what to do isn’t doable, and it certainly doesn’t help the team grow, even if YOU are a know-it-all guide.

You are human and so is your team.

So instead of giving instructions, ask the team what the solution is.

📊Statistics show that when trusted and engaged, we feel like we have active participation in what we do, and our motivation goes up!

For example:

Do not say: "We should show it this way because XYZ"

Instead say "How could you make this display more commercial/inspiring etc..?"

Perceived choice, autonomy and engagement are keywords and a part of an attitude that is proven to be better in the workplace.

Things you can do right now:

Use questions when giving feedback (“How might we…?” “What do you think would work?”)
Invite team suggestions (for customer greetings, visual merchandising etc)
Avoid telling, when you can ask. Don’t dictate, engage.

2. Coaching in the moment

For this one let me paint you a picture.

On holidays, discount periods, and summer, the store floor can be a frantic place to be. So how can we coach in the moment?

In these times, managers can be a huge help and effective conversations can really go a long way. This is a turning point in your store and your focus as a manager. So hear me out.

This method happens in real-time and it’s extremely powerful when done well.

Walk with purpose. Look for opportunities.

If you spot something good, say it, give praise.

If you see something that needs changing, engage with the team, be specific in the moment, let them know.

For example: “I saw you help that customer with great patience”. If you see it, say it.

Don’t let opportunities slide and become bigger problems at the end of the day.

Walk & talk

Imagine you’re walking with a colleague from the floor to the back of the store and on route you take 2-3 minutes to discover their needs: “tell me about what's going well for you this week”.

Actively use these small walking moments, as a coaching opportunity that will bring you closer to your team. It’s immediate, personal, and shows interest.

3. Shadow and share

Shadowing can be a great learning technique, used in many fields.

But let’s talk about ours.

Shadowing a high performance co-worker is not a nice-to-have, it’s actually a must.

And for those who may be unfamiliar, this is where usually a new member could shadow another member who is very good at something (e.g.: upselling).

Peer-to-peer shadowing is proven to enhance leadership practice, increase reflection, and helps people learn by seeing others in action.

It is a very productive way to help your team members grow, learn and understand.

But don’t forget!

After the shadowing period, it’s important for the manager to ask the person shadowing questions about their experience, like: "What did you learn that you could try yourself?" “What did you notice, what would you try differently?”.

You can also rotate roles, shadowing isn’t reserved for new members only!

3 easy steps to remember this by: