Having an established hierarchy in your business can be helpful when it comes to handling disputes. A word of caution on this…if you intend to build a true team where each member feels equally valued for his or her contributions, you must never, ever ask your employees to do something you are not willing to do yourself.

Most well run businesses have a good team effort that is created by each individual knowing what their job is, and how to do it. One of the very best team efforts is demonstrated by Trader Joe's grocery markets. Each person on the team is expected to multi-task without regard to specific job descriptions. If a job needs to be done, then whoever sees it should be expected to do it. Even the managers are seen sweeping the floor, bagging groceries, and straightening the inventory. This collaborative working environment is something that is valued by employees, and gives the customer the feeling of teamwork and job satisfaction.

Remember, happy employees = happy customers.

Mentoring rather than supervising is a good analysis of your position as a store owner or manager. By giving good constructive feedback in a positive way, your employee is more likely to want to improve performance. By expecting the same type of effort out of every employee shows how much you value teamwork. By proving that you are a team member, you are demonstrating that you believe your own words.

Remember the Bible's Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If you would not like to be chastised or corrected in front of someone, then do not do that to your employees. Find phrases to use like: "How can I help you?" "Is there something I can do to make this right for you?" The use of such phrases from the owner or manager gets your employee off the hook in your customer's eyes, and it lets the customer know that you are interested in fixing the problem.

Use words and gestures that you want your employees to emulate. Just as it is with children imitating their parents, your employees will do as you do.

Using the Employee Manual
Writing an employee manual, like writing a business plan, forces you to sit down and write out in as much detail as possible the job description and duties of your employee.

You should also include Learning Objectives and appropriate time frames for your new hires to achieve. This sets the expectation that their paycheck is dependent on learning specific skills within a specific time frame. If they are not willing to put in the extra effort to do this, they are likely not the appropriate employee for you.

Having considered that he might need to hire employees at some point in the future, Wendell decides to write his employee manual while he learns the business himself. This way he is able to assure himself that his employee manual will have enough information in it for his new employees to be successful. The following are some of the items that Wendell considers important for his business with a point system (out of 100) that gives the level of importance for each duty:

Ø Greet customers within 20 seconds of arrival; greet them with a warm and friendly smile saying "Good morning" or "Good afternoon". (10 points)

Ø Find out how your customer needs to be helped. Ask open-ended questions like, "What do you need for your garden today?" "How is that red-bud tree that you bought last week doing?" "Are you looking for something specific?" (15 points)

Ø Know the merchandise and be able to answer most general questions knowledgeably, using benefit statements that explain how your customer's needs are being met. (15 points)

Ø Practice suggestive selling techniques that might complete a purchase that the customer is already making, to help boost sales. "Planting three perennials together will give you a more complete look and make an impact in your garden sooner." "Azaleas need acidic soil; do you have any _______ fertilizer at home that will help this plant to better acclimate to her new home?" (30 points)

Ø Anticipate objections, and have responses ready that are not perceived as resistant. "You don't want three of the same plant? Have you considered planting ________ with these two, it makes a terrific focal point in your garden because of the foliage contrasts." (5 points)

Ø Thank customers once the sale is concluded and ask them to return to you for all their future gardening needs. Also offer to answer any questions about their purchase once they get home. (10 points)

Ø Keep the store clean, stocked, visually appealing, and other duties as needed or as indicated by the store manager. (15 points)

A very clear expectation of job duties and responsibilities enables your employees to perform well and understand what is expected of them. The lack of clear expectations leads to miscommunication, misunderstanding, frustration, and the possible loss of a valuable employee.

This is a form of training that is encouraging and empowering rather than denigrating and negative. When you use more of a coaching method in training your employees, you avoid the use of any negatives.

Rather than saying, "I didn't like how you handled Mrs. Johnson's complaint about the light fixture" you might say instead, "Rather than telling Mrs. Johnson that she might have broken the light fixture when she installed it, you might have said that the installation process is sometimes tricky and she might consider hiring one of our installers next time."

In order to coach effectively, you must know exactly how to model it for your employees. Be sure to praise in the right manner and avoid the use of the word but. Try never to praise an action then negate it by saying: "I especially liked how you greeted Mr. Baker, but next time I want you to say the store name as you welcome him." All your employee will hear is that he did it wrong. Look back on all the people you have worked for in the past. They all have the ability to discover something that you did wrong. None of us likes to have this pointed out. Your employees do not like it either. They will not feel motivated to try to do it better.

Instead, find the things that they are doing right, and praise them on the spot for it, in front of other employees. This models the correct behavior for other employees and reinforces it in the one you just praised. As a business owner, you need to work hard to make this trait a habit. As a human being, we seem to automatically gravitate to the negative, so you may have to work at changing this.

Effective coaching requires six steps:

1) Set Goals that are measurable, observable, and have a specific time frame. Discuss the goal on a regular basis so that it is clear and current. The best thing is to actually put the goal on paper.

2) Teach Skills or behaviors that your employee needs to learn in order to perform her job well. Most people do not know how to interact positively with people, nor do they know how to sell easily. These must be modeled and discussed regularly. Invite your sales associates to ask questions when they have experienced a particularly difficult situation. Then you can use role playing as a form of modeling.

3) Build Relationships by getting your employees to trust you. This can take a very long time to establish, and only seconds to ruin. My daughter has worked with a manager for a very long time and she thought she had established a trusting relationship with him. One day, he took his temper out on her and accused her of something that was not true. He tried to make up for it by apologizing the next day, but she is still wary and suspicious of this manager.

4) Motivate your employees. Giving your employees clear expectations and immediate feedback, especially positive feedback, you are motivating them to do their job well, or even better. By finding opportunities to reinforce good behavior, you are creating powerful associations with your employees to fulfilling your expectations.

5) Monitor Performance so that your employees know where they stand. This is where a checklist can come in handy. When goals are set, they should be set down on paper, creating an agreement between the employer and employee.

6) Continue Training so that you can reinforce all the lessons your employee is learning. Keep this positive so that your employees have the desire to improve. Always remember that you must model what you expect.

Every person has different needs. Some needs are to be recognized or loved. Others need a boost in their self-esteem. By learning the needs of your employees you can best discover how to motivate them. The following websites are great resources for a topic that could be a class in and of itself. The basic secret to motivation is to know that you cannot motivate someone else.

The purpose of your business is to provide a product to a consumer who pays you money for that product. Few businesses operate in a vacuum where money rolls in without having to deal with people. By offering a product to your customer, your business is dependent on your customers' satisfaction. Your very relationship with your customer is defined by how you and your employees communicate and relate to them.