April FAQ: Dealing With Everyday Stress and Pressure

Addressing the pressure and priorities of modern retail leadership.

One Friday each month, I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.

April FAQ: Planning, Prioritizing, and Protecting Your Peace

Welcome to this month’s FAQ. As we wrap up April, which is Stress Awareness Month, and look ahead to May and Mental Health Awareness Month, it felt like the perfect time to address a couple of questions that have come up recently. Both of these questions touch on the very real pressure that comes with our roles. Retail is a demanding business, and it is easy to let the weight of it wear you down.

Here are two questions that have come in.

Question: I feel like I am constantly running but never getting my task list completed. How do I manage the workload without feeling completely overwhelmed every day?

It is incredibly easy to feel buried under the weight of a retail schedule. Fires pop up, priorities shift, and suddenly the plan you had for the day is out the window. The first thing you have to accept is that retail is always on, never ending. There is no "done", just what is next. If you measure your success by whether or not your inbox is empty or your to-do list is completely crossed off, you will always feel like you are falling short.

The key to managing that feeling of overwhelm is prioritization and planning. I know that sounds both over simplified and maybe even too obvious, but it really does come down to that. You have to take control of your time before the day takes control of you. Doing everything is impossible, so your efforts must shift to doing the right things.

One of the best habits you can build is closing out each day by planning the next. As we explored in 5 More Things Effective Leaders Do to Manage Their Time, everyone needs a plan to start their day. Before you leave the building or log off for the night, take ten minutes to identify your top two or three priorities for tomorrow. Have this written down, and then build in the time to complete those items. When you do this, you hit the ground running the next morning knowing exactly where to focus your energy before the daily distractions begin. You also give your brain permission to stop working. You know you have a plan to get done what needs to get done. That alone will significantly reduce your stress levels when you go home.

Question: I feel like I am carrying the weight of my entire store on my own shoulders. It is exhausting. How can I step back without the results falling apart?

This is a heavy burden, and it is a common trap for dedicated leaders. I have often used an image of Store Managers struggling under the ‘weight of the world’ on their shoulders. This can easily apply to any leader in retail at any level. We care about our results and our customers, so we jump in and take over when things get tough. But carrying that much weight is a recipe for burnout. You cannot do it all yourself, and frankly, you are not supposed to.

The solution here is intentional team development. You have to build a team that can help remove some of that weight from your shoulders. This means taking a hard look at how you are coaching your assistant managers and supervisors. I dive deep into this distinction in Empower Your Team: How to Help Without Enabling or Lowering Standards. Are you helping them, or are you enabling them? Helping is about guiding and coaching, not solving their problems for them. When you solve every problem for them because it is faster, they learn to rely on you for everything. When you coach them to find the answers themselves by asking open-ended questions, you help your team develop critical thinking skills and confidence.

Spend your time teaching them how to prioritize and plan their own days. Give them ownership of specific areas or metrics, and let them make decisions. It takes more time upfront to train, answer questions, and follow up, but it is the only way to build a sustainable business. As they take on more responsibility and learn to manage their own challenges independently, the weight on your shoulders becomes lighter. They become willing and efficient partners in the process.

Take Care of Yourself

This leads to the most important point for both of these questions. Taking care of yourself should probably be first on every list that connects to time management and productivity. This isn’t ‘just in case of an emergency’, it is all the time (think “put your mask on first reference”). I highlighted this exact necessity in 5 Things Every Leader Can Do to Manage Time Better. You cannot be the leader your team needs if you are running on empty. Self-care is not a buzzword; it is a necessity for long-term success. Protect your days off. Disconnect from the email and the group texts when you are not working. Prioritize your own well-being so you have the energy required to support everyone else.

As we transition from Stress Awareness Month into Mental Health Awareness Month, take a step back and look at your routines. Are you planning your days, or just reacting to them? Are you developing your team, or just doing the work for them? Make a few small adjustments this week. Your business will improve, and more importantly, you will feel much better doing it.

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