Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2017 4 Eliana Barriga eliana@retailobserver.com Happy communicating, APRIL 2017, VOLUME 28, ISSUE 4 CELEBRATING OUR 28 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 BILL BAZEMORE MANNY ORTEGA JIM SENDRAK DENNIS SHIELDS JOHN TSCHOHL E LLY VALAS LIBBY WAGNER JOHN WHITE RALPH E.WOLFF DEADLINE FOR JUNE 2017 ISSUE: MAY 1, 2017 THE RETAIL OBSERVER 2764 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Suite 508 Henderson, NV 89014-2121 800.393.0509 • 702.208.9500 Fax 702.570.5664 production@retailobserver.com info@retailobserver.com www.retailobserver.com To receive a copy of The Retail Observer online, or to unsubscribe, please go to www.retailobserver.com/subscribe The Retail Observer website is hosted by Market Digitally Printed on Recycled Paper THE RETAIL A man and his young daughter were at a farmer's market. The daughter asked if they could get fresh apples, so the dad bought two and handed them to his daughter while he put his change away. He asked the daughter if he could have one of the apples, and the girl quickly took a bite from one apple. Before he could say anything, she took a bite from the second apple. The dad was surprised and disappointed that his daughter acted so greedily, but at that moment, the daughter handed him an apple and said, "Here, Daddy, take this one. It's sweeter and juicier!" —author unknown This story illustrates how the snap judgments can be so inaccurate, as they are influenced by our own perspective and experiences. What came to the father's mind first (2 apples + 2 bites = greedy) wasn't the case at all, and by the father simply observing his daughter and not reacting immediately on his first impression, he was able to experience his daughter's generous nature. Had he acted on his impulse, the scenario could have turned out poorly, perhaps a confrontation that could have affected the relationship. I am guilty of snap judgment myself on occasion, and when I do, I need to remind myself: "What else could this mean-how could I be misreading this?" The trick for me is to remember this in the moment! How often do we make snap judgments with our customers, our co-workers, or our employees, perhaps immediately acting (or overreacting), versus taking time to respond and clarify? Have you ever noticed a questionable action of an employee, taken it wrong and admonished them, only to find out that the employee took the best action given the circumstances? If we allow those situations to just play out a bit to see where it is going, we gain a wider perspective of, "That's not what I would've done, but I can see the intention, and it works." By embracing a more patient response, we can learn from others' thought processes and increase our ability to communicate more effectively. Here's the way I see it: Never jump to conclusions because you never know where it might take you. TAKING THE "SNAP" OUT OF SNAP JUDGMENTS Elle's View As I See It

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