RETAILOBSERVER.COM AUGUST 2017
4
Eliana Barriga
eliana@retailobserver.com
To Teamwork-
AUGUST 2017, VOLUME 28, ISSUE 8
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
MIKE ALLEN
SCOTT M. BROWN
MISSY HODGES
JOHN TSCHOHL
E LLY VALAS
LIBBY WAGNER
RALPH E. WOLFF
DOUG WREDE
DEADLINE FOR OCT. 2017 ISSUE:
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
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THE RETAIL
I
t's August, and I am back in the United States, refreshed after my doctor–prescribed
time off. I took a healing, regenerative journey to Europe, spending time in England
and the south of Spain to allow myself time to rest and reduce my stress level.
Speaking Spanish, immersing myself in a new culture, exchanging Euros, and
traveling by various methods, were the mild stimulations I needed to slowly increase
brain function, necessary after head trauma.
An excerpt from The Brain World's publisher's letter states, "As we grow, we will
continue to adjust to change; exercising and reshaping our brains to endure the
challenges that come with it... Even a simple journey on a subway can bring about
these changes, using the brain's reward circuitry as we plan our daily commute. It's
how we've always been as a species; migrating to new territory, out of a desire to
explore what is just beyond our horizons..."
Our brains are so powerful – our desire to explore and grow needs to be fed and
stimulated no matter what. In this month's book review, The Camino Way, Victor
Prince takes us on his sabbatical journey across Spain. What began as a
competitive trek became an amazing adventure and a career game-changer.
Likewise, my automobile accident has been a game-changer for my family, my
business, and me. I realized I needed to re-evaluate some of the priorities in my
personal and business life.
One of the priorities that came to mind was the importance of preparing for the
unexpected in our business lives. As a mom-and-pop operation, we at The Retail
Observer have found it important to cross-train staff and put together a plan B.
Businesses need a written protocol/delegation plan in the event that any team
member isn't available to fulfill their roles. Prepare your employees to be ready to take
on greater responsibilities in the case of the loss of any member of the team. It's easy
to slip into the mindset of trying to do so much yourself and believing that you are the
only one who can do a job right. In addition, many people are afraid of being replaced
if anyone else knows how to do their job. However, this is a fairly outdated mindset
that needs to be changed to allow for effective emergency planning.
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to
everyone on our team at The Retail Observer who all pitched in to take over my
responsibilities during my extended time away. Great job.
PREPARING FOR
THE UNEXPECTED
Elle's View As I See It
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