Day Three - Developing and Leading Successful Loss Prevention Teams
One of the last breakouts of the conference tackled the issue of developing and leading an LP team. David Shugan, CFI, Carter’s Inc and Mark VanBeest, JCPenney Company, Inc. led the discussion.
David started his presentation off with some definitions of some key terms: Manager, Leader. In the dictionary ’success’ is not included in the definitions of those words. Shouldn’t it?
The difference between management and leadership? Management is about getting people to work to accomplish a goal. Leadership is about helping people examine their values and clarify what matters most.
Ownership is a key component of leadership. Does your team own their work? Make them decision makers to assist with buy-in. This makes them a valuable part of the team.
What is loss prevention leadership?
- Company 1st and Loss Prevention 2nd: The store doesn’t have your name it.
- The “Mack-Truck” Theory: If you were hit by a truck, can your team carry on?
- Burn down the building: Allow others on the team to provide solutions.
- “Rocking Chair” philosophy: It’s about helping others with their careers.
Mark from JCPenney first addressed the subject of hiring the right talent. It’s crucial that you hire the right talent. There are plenty of ‘good’ candidates, the challenge is finding the ‘great’ ones, or the ones that have potential to be great.
Operating a successful LP team starts with the right person for the right job. Once you have the staff provide them the tools and training to make the most of their situation.
Next comes leadership, where are you going? Let the team be part of this definition process.
Once you’re established you need to continually grow, otherwise complacency might set in. Ultimately you control your own personal development. You need to define where you are and where you want to be. What’s the path to getting there? What skills are your lacking? One area that you can immediately approve upon is your appearance and presentation.
During the process constant get feedback, this could be via peers, direct reports, 360 surveys or mentors. Constantly course correct on your path. This applies to your own personal growth and your team’s growth.
There are five fatal flaws in leadership
- Inability to learn from mistakes
- Lack of core interpersonal skills and competencies
- Lack of openness to new ideas
- Lack of accountability
- Lack of initiative
