You have heard us say that we believe the retail store manager is the most important role in retail. The run industry wanted to explore what this means by creating a session at the first-ever Run Congress. This session was titled: Deal Breakers - Attributes Needed for Store Manager Success and Setting Expectations. What does it mean for the owner, what does it look like to brands, and most importantly, what do managers think?

This month we will look at what was uncovered during this session. Each group had 25 core competencies to choose from. A core competency refers to the capabilities, knowledge, skills, and resources that constitute its "defining strength." Every group assignment was to pick their top seven competencies for store managers and rate the skills. 

Out of all the core competencies, brands, owners, and managers had two that were the same. However, these two competencies were not in the same order of importance. 

1. Leadership: Organizing and influencing people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.
2. Employee Development and Coaching: Facilitating, supporting, and contributing to the professional growth of others.

We will discuss why these findings are important to understand, what each group thought were the top seven, and why this month. For now, your homework is to pick and rate your top 7 core competencies for a retail manager.