By Scott Nichols

I just got off the phone and because of the phone call I had, I am going to change the whole topic of this article. I have this pet peeve about people not being able to get over things – things that are minor but others like to make much bigger than what it really is. It’s the typical story of two different groups of people who aren’t getting along. In my opinion, a lot of issues could be solved if each party took a step back and knew the whole story. It’s like when you watch a movie and the whole basis of the movie is bad timing.  The high school sweethearts break up but later in life bump into each other again. The guy had done something that causes the original break-up and now the girl needs to decide if she wants to give him a second chance. Can they work through their issues and find love in time for Christmas?

All joking aside, I find similar things happening with relationships in our stores. Relationships can make or break your business. We need everyone and everyone needs us but what I have found in my 20-plus years is our opinions, egos, bullheadedness or whatever you want to call it gets in the way. In my opinion, more than ever we need to focus on building strong teams. The strength of your team will determine the success of your store.

How many great employees have we lost in the past because of issues like this? I find that most employees who leave on bad terms leave because of a breakdown in the relationship we have with them or they have with us. No matter what you do as a manager, there are going to be times where we upset employees and vice versa. You can be proactive and a great leader but sometimes things happen that are out of our control. You can’t help that but what you do next you can.

I challenge you to sit down with the employee and find out what is going on. When considering covering hours, interviewing and training, a sit down with the employee might be beneficial. You might find out that you are at fault or the employee is, but I am going to tell you it doesn’t matter at this point. What matters is this: Do you want to keep the employee or not? If yes, then find a way to make it work.  Ask the employee what he/she would like to see happen and then let the employee know what you would like to see happen.

The goal is to find the real problem of what caused all of this in the first place. Whatever this issue is, make sure you focus on it and work on a solution to fix it and make sure it won’t happen again. If it does happen again, set up a plan so it can be dealt with immediately.

In most cases, it’s going to take someone who is going to extend their hand. It’s going to take someone to start taking a step forward. The reality is most of us won’t, or even can’t, do this. For the people who can, you might find out this employee is amazing, and you will see a stronger relationship than before and an employee who is excited about work.

If for some reason this doesn’t work, don’t sweat it. You tried and extended your hand. That is all you can do. Be content on knowing you tried.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.