'I Think I Can Manage, Thank You' is a weekly column (daily for this sequence) by retailer Steven Bates, manager of Bookery Fantasy, a million dollar retail operation in
If you've been reading this series on the breakaway employee (a manager or member of your staff who leaves to open a competing business), you know by now how personal the situation can get, especially for a small business. The majority of comics and games retailers are 'Mom & Pop' organizations, in spirit if not in actuality, and the staff is usually pretty friendly with one another. Unlike huge corporations, we have the luxury (and curse) of intimately knowing the people in our organizations. The first column in this series equated hiring, for the small business manager, to marriage. Both involve courtship, making a connection, then making a commitment. But just as many marriages end in divorce, sometimes working relationships end disastrously, and people go their separate ways. So what happens next?
Revenge fantasies are one option, but not one I'd recommend. There are pesky legal ramifications to consider, as well as the moral and ethical dilemmas to overcome. Seeking revenge might make you feel better temporarily, but create an even bigger mess that could take the rest of your life to resolve. Just say 'No!'
A more productive line of thinking is to learn from your mistakes and adapt the way you do business, becoming stronger, smarter. Are you too quick to hire, without checking out your candidates better? Once you've hired someone, do you stay involved with them, keeping tabs not only on their work, but their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations? Are you aware of how others perceive them, how they perceive themselves, and how you are perceived? Do you understand their job, and can you determine if they are indeed doing it to the best of their abilities? What can you do to foster trust, loyalty, and commitment? And when the time comes, are you prepared to call it off?
Competition, whether from an ex-employee or not, is a good motivator. Take a long hard look at your business. Is it the best it can be? If it is, you've got nothing to worry about. It it's not, well ... At the Bookery, we just spent several days, hundreds of man-hours, and thousands of dollars installing new carpet and redesigning our main store. Future improvements are planned for our collectibles area and our gaming branch. Some of the changes, like the new carpet and paint, are cosmetic. But many aspects of the renovation were well-researched and long-debated before implementing. How close to the front of the store should we put anime and manga? Can we move new comics to the back wall, to pull customers deeper into the store? How much space do we devote to DVDs? To trade paperbacks and graphic novels? To back issues? These and other issues were not addressed lightly; we were determined to be not only the biggest and best shop in the region, but the biggest and the best, PERIOD. What better way to dispel rumors of closures and downsizing than by making ourselves over, realizing our potential to the fullest degree?
Dealing with a breakaway employee has not been fun, but it has been educational. Our store is stronger for having gone through it; it galvanized the remaining staff and inspired us to improve both the look of our shops and the way we do business. I hope the readers of this column never have to face this kind of conflict, but if they do, they can take some small comfort in knowing that others have had to deal with the same situation and not only survived, but thrived. What seems at first like the end of the world might be the best thing that ever happened to you. You just have to roll with the punches.