The Retail Drinks Liquor Retail Summit last week heard from Phil Preston, Founder of The Business Purpose Project, who presented a session called ‘building strong teams and great places to work.’
Preston spoke to National Liquor News about his presentation, and why its important for liquor retailers to be thinking about how they can create strong workforces and workplaces.
“In challenging and uncertain times the value of strong teams really shines through, with studies showing that ‘inspired’ workers are up to three times more productive than dissatisfied ones. When unpacking what makes great teams, it turns out the factors are the same regardless of the industry – or even the sporting code – you are in,” Preston said.
“Liquor retailers, like many retailers, may find it hard to attract and retain great employees in single or multi-locations. I’ll be outlining the three Cs of staffing strategies to help in getting the right people on board and finding the win-wins that increase their engagement, which ultimately boosts their tenure and productivity in the business.”
Michael Waters, CEO of Retail Drinks Australia, said this topic is an important one for liquor retailers, as effective people, culture and alignment strategies helps drive performance for businesses. He told National Liquor News that its often not a straightforward task to develop and carry out such strategies, which is why this was a valuable keynote address at the Summit.
“Every employer wants their business to be successful, yet the vast majority are frustrated by the lack of their team’s performance and productivity, and how much time it takes to manage their people. Where do you start, what do you focus on first, what’s going to make the biggest impact to your employees and the business?
“In my experience, successful businesses seek out the win-win, and understand that profit does not need to come at the cost of your people.
“If you ask a small business owner they will quickly tell you that the importance of people as a resource should always be at the forefront of any business, however in reality, looking after your most important asset can often be neglected due to other competing priorities and business demands.”
Preston also said he understands the struggle, and has a means to a solution that will be explored through his session at the Summit.
“Because we tend to get overrun with day to day challenges, we don’t always take time out to assess where our teams are at and how to improve them. The good news is that it doesn’t need to be a big and overwhelming process, there are some simple checklists and actions that can be employed,” he said.