RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2015
4
Eliana Barriga
eliana@retailobserver.com
Happy Mother's Day,
Elle's View As I See It
As I spoke about my plans to spend time with my children for Mother's
Day, a close friend of mine shared an insightful perspective with me on the
changing roles of a mother in a child's life. She explained that during the
early and adolescent years, you are your child's' manager. You manage
their eating and sleeping habits, make sure they understand and follow the
rules. Then, as the child moves from a teenager to an adult, your role shifts
to that of a consultant. This is where you no longer take full responsibility
for their well being or the choices they make. Instead, you ask more
questions to help them find their own way and support their decisions.
Right now, I have a daughter in the later stages and I'm finding the shift
not as smooth going as I would like. Maybe it's because she is my
youngest, or maybe it's because I've spent the last 3 decades in manager
mode and have forgotten how to be a consultant.
Either way, these shifts in roles play out in our day-to-day lives whether
you're a parent or not, but especially if you are a business owner. If we stay
in manager mode too long, we leave no room for exploration and creativity,
instead we will find ourselves running a highly organized and predictably
boring business. Like the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a
dull boy".
On the other hand, if we teeter too long in consultant mode, we will
find that our business is filled with flexibility and freedom, but lacking in
structure or a clear direction. This reminds me of the Peter Pan syndrome:
a world of possibilities and bliss with no real commitments or responsibilities.
A fun, but probably not very profitable business model.
The key, as I've found with my daughter, is finding the right balance
between the role of manager and consultant. That sweet spot somewhere
in the middle. A place that is nurturing enough for growth and strict enough
to provide the needed ingredients to grow stronger.
MOTHER
KNOWS BEST—
Prioritizing your roles
as consultant/manager
MAY 2015, VOLUME 26, ISSUE 5
CELEBRATING OUR 26
TH
YEAR
AS THE RETAIL OBSERVER
PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR
E LIANA BARRIGA
DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING
MOE LASTFOGEL
ART DIRECTOR
TERRY PRICE
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
PETER J. ALBANESE
MIKE ALLEN
TOM HICKMAN
JOE HIGGINS
PAUL MAC DONALD
COREY M
C
MULLAN
DON PIERSON
JOHN TSCHOHL
E LLY VALAS
LIBBY WAGNER
DEADLINE FOR JULY. 2015 ISSUE:
JUNE 1, 2015
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