5 minute read
PARTING WORDS
Make up Your Mind To Be Happy
Conferences are fun for me; a highlight of my year. And it doesn’t matter which conference. You can always find a session or a conversation that will make you smarter. You can always find a great restaurant and good company for dinner. But what is really interesting is watching others and trying to gauge how happy they are in their chosen occupation. It is usually written on their faces, whether they are a retailer or a solution provider.
I just returned from the food retailers’ conference where it appeared that most people had made up their mind to be happy. However, there were a few who walked around with sad or troubled looks on their face, but they were the exception. Each of them, if they make up their mind, can change that.
This brings me to Tina Sellers, director of LP at Delhaize America, which is Food Lion’s parent company. She led a great discussion on “Getting Your House in Order.” There wasn’t a thing about shrink, catching shoplifters, ORC, or accidents. It was just plain talk on how each person can get things right with themselves, starting with family.
Family. How well do you keep work distractions from your family? When the phone rings at night, sometimes making you angry or emotional, do you take it out on your family? Are you able to keep your cell phone in your pocket when sitting with the family at dinner? It was suggested that you take a basket and make everyone put their device in it when the family was engaged together. Good idea.
Finances. After family the topic was finances. Do you have a savings plan, do you contribute to your retirement, do you have a will, do you know the contents of your parents will and what your responsibilities might be in that event? These are all pretty basic questions, but many in the session were not in a good place.
Business Relationships. Next came discussion of business relationships. Do you have mentors who you take advantage of? Have you tried to engage colleagues from other companies? Here was a good suggestion—when sitting in a session, introduce yourself to the people near you and suggest having lunch or a drink together. Don’t shy away from conversations with solution providers either. All of them bring value to our industry. You don’t have to be a buyer to establish a new, healthy relationship.
Education. What about education? If you don’t have a degree there are several ways to go about obtaining one in person or online. Yes, it is difficult to balance your job and school, but you can do it. What about certifications—LPQ, LPC, CFI, CFE, and CPP? Most companies should be able to help you with the costs of a degree or certification program. You simply have to ask.
Health. Lastly, the discussion turned to health, which is all too often easy to neglect. Do you diet, get regular exercise, and have regular doctor checkups? Your health is important to you as an individual, but also to your family and friends.
The best indicator of a good session for me is, did I feel better afterwards? In this case yes, I did.
The next conference I attend will be the RILA event in Indianapolis the first week of April. Indy is a short drive from my hometown, so I know about Indiana. Indy is a great city and will be a good host to what I expect to be a great conference. However, the first week of April in Indiana? There might be six inches of snow, there might be a tornado, it may be sunny and 70; all in the same week! So I’m thinking positive thoughts on the weather and better thoughts about finding a restaurant that can do a breaded tenderloin Indiana style. Now that will make me happy.
Jim Lee, LPC Executive Editor
On Another Note
Recently I had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with two different CEOs. I asked them both what made them happy. Without hesitation they both said it was single objective—profit. Everything else was secondary to the drive for profit. My follow-up question was how well was LP contributing to their profit. Both CEOs replied with a lukewarm, “Fine.” They went on to say LP did a good job of getting rid of dishonest employees and had shrink and technology programs in place, which was all “Fine.”
So, how does LP do great? They both responded the same way. Talk more about profit and less about shrink. Present a profit plan, not a shrink plan. Demonstrate how LP supports the business and grows profit as well as reducing loss. Convince them that all LP associates understand the value of the customer and everything they do supports the customer experience.
If we are all about the customer and profit, then shrink will take care of itself. That would make both CEOs happy. I imagine there are many others that feel the same way.
We need to get all the departments talking to each other
Our LP team is a leader in this conversation
Smart EAS, analytics and video improve our visibility
LP technology can do more than manage shrink
Our new cameras will improve customer experience, not impede it
It’s not just about catching bad guys anymore
Industry roles are changing as fast as the technology is.
We’ll help you think like a Chief Visibility Officer.
From the big picture to a million minor details, your job is all about visibility. Creating a secure shopping environment. Managing loss prevention. Tracking millions of pieces of inventory – from the manufacturer to the shopping bag. And doing it all in one of the fastest-changing environments in global commerce. That’s why we like to think of people like you as Chief Visibility Officers – with an eye on every aspect of the industry, and the goal of improving customer experience through effective security practices backed by genuine Sensormatic® EAS technology. At Tyco Integrated Security, we get how important that is – and it’s why we work with 80 percent of the world’s Top 100 retailers on smarter ways to advance their business security. We’re more than a security company. We’re your Tyco Team.
Visit us at RILA Booth 401
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