Curating Community: The art of picking the right people
Part 1 of 3
By Nathan Froese
Everywhere I looked, there were smiling faces, excited conversations, and the easy embraces of old friends. It could’ve been a scene out of a wedding or a family reunion—instead it was one from the opening of Community Natural Foods’ new Seton, Calgary store.
In late November, hundreds of friends, family, social media influencers, and industry personalities came out to celebrate. In the moments between hugs and excited conversations, I took a few moments to step back and enjoy the environment, reminding myself how lucky I was for my career at Community Natural Foods Ltd.
Then, I reflected on something else: when shaping an environment, how do chance and strategy intersect?
We often describe the softer identifiers of our businesses—the “vibe” in our stores, the “energy” of the staff—as more magic than management, but that doesn’t mean they’re merely luck. I would argue that we can, and indeed should, actively curate these intangibles.
Perhaps the most important place to start is with our hiring practices. Build a clear vision of what you want your business to feel like and identify the personal qualities that create those feelings.
Developing key qualities
Here are four tips to help instill your employees with the qualities you care about most:
Interview for it
Craft your interview questions to elicit answers that exemplify desirable qualities. Technical skills or operational competencies are important to consider, but they’re also teachable. Soft skills like genuine kindness or a willingness to help are harder to teach.
Want an air of inclusivity in your store? Ask candidates how they’ve contributed to making their community a better place.
Want your space to radiate passion? Ask candidates what’s important to them and why.
Train for it
Once a new employee has been selected, ensure training includes the ways in which your team actively cultivates the atmosphere of your store. Consider how you might train staff on something as simple as what to do if they’re having a conversation with a colleague and a customer approaches:
Should the conversation be politely paused as they serve the customer?
Or, if the situation permits, should they invite the customer to join the conversation?
Recognize it
Simply recognizing your employees’ good work can make them more productive and loyal and contribute to overall organizational performance. This can be as simple as:
Pulling them aside for a quick conversation or writing them a note of praise.
Implementing a rewards program with tangible benefits.
Live it
To help make your desired attributes part of an employees’ daily work, you and your leadership members must exemplify the qualities you expect from your team—full stop. If you want to inspire employees to give genuine and excellent service, then there is no “do as I say, not as I do” or “fake it ‘til you make it.” If it’s not genuine from you, it won’t be genuine from them.
Want employees who answer client questions thoroughly? Have management educate them on new products.
Want staff who show genuine interest in your customers? Model the behaviour by asking them genuine questions.
Walking the talk
Simply drawing a crowd does not create a community, and it’s never mere chance that creates a successful retail environment. The real opportunity comes when the two intersect, allowing us to consciously create something meaningful and sustainable.