WEBVTT 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:10.670 Ricardo Belmar: Welcome to our new Retail Razor show, Blade to Greatness, 00:00:11.180 --> 00:00:14.840 our new standalone Retail Razor show, where we hear from a retail industry 00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:19.180 leader who shares their sharp insights and cuts of wisdom on how to excel in 00:00:19.180 --> 00:00:21.040 this dynamic and competitive field. 00:00:21.340 --> 00:00:25.520 In this series, we learn about the essential must have skills and qualities 00:00:25.520 --> 00:00:30.005 that every retail executive needs to lead their teams and their business to success. 00:00:30.318 --> 00:00:33.948 Casey Golden: Whether we're talking about HQ or stores, we'll uncover valuable 00:00:33.948 --> 00:00:39.150 tips and advice that every retail leader can apply to their own retail career 00:00:39.150 --> 00:00:41.600 path, raising your Blade to Greatness. 00:00:42.155 --> 00:00:43.635 Ricardo Belmar: I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar. 00:00:44.085 --> 00:00:45.775 Casey Golden: And I'm your co host Casey Golden. 00:00:46.952 --> 00:00:48.332 Today we're speaking with April. 00:00:48.332 --> 00:00:53.382 Sabral, founder of retail u.ca, an online leadership development portal 00:00:53.412 --> 00:00:58.482 for field leaders and also the author of two books, "The Positive Effect" 00:00:58.962 --> 00:01:01.512 and her latest "Incurable Positivity". 00:01:01.812 --> 00:01:06.732 After three decades running stores for brands such as Starbucks, Banana Republic, 00:01:06.792 --> 00:01:11.842 Apple, Holt Renfrew, and DavidsTea April transitioned into coaching and 00:01:12.002 --> 00:01:16.452 training after seeing the impact of leadership firsthand on a retail business. 00:01:16.992 --> 00:01:22.542 Her current clients include brands like Jimmy Choo, L'Oreal, Victoria's 00:01:22.542 --> 00:01:24.692 Secret, David's Bridal, and more. 00:01:25.248 --> 00:01:27.858 Ricardo Belmar: Today she's here to talk with us about one of the most important 00:01:27.858 --> 00:01:29.658 skills every retail leader needs: 00:01:30.018 --> 00:01:34.278 how to stop being enrolled into negativity news, doom and gloom, and so on. 00:01:34.818 --> 00:01:35.568 Welcome, April. 00:01:35.888 --> 00:01:36.908 April Sabral: Hey, good morning. 00:01:37.178 --> 00:01:37.958 Nice to be here. 00:01:38.324 --> 00:01:39.254 it's interesting, right? 00:01:39.254 --> 00:01:42.914 How many times a day do people call you to tell you all the doom and 00:01:42.914 --> 00:01:48.014 gloom or send you emails or LinkedIn posts about like retail's dead, right? 00:01:48.014 --> 00:01:49.874 Like all the time. 00:01:50.289 --> 00:01:50.919 Hundred percent. 00:01:50.979 --> 00:01:54.339 So I'm not the person that anybody calls to actually do that because they know 00:01:54.339 --> 00:01:55.569 what's gonna happen when they do that. 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:57.819 'cause I'm not being enrolled in those conversations. 00:01:58.419 --> 00:02:00.909 I always say life is like an enrollment game, right? 00:02:00.909 --> 00:02:06.219 Like we're enrolling customers to buy what we are selling and we're 00:02:06.224 --> 00:02:10.089 enrolling our teams to buy into what we want them and need them to do. 00:02:11.009 --> 00:02:15.359 We're being enrolled in conversations all day that are just not 00:02:15.359 --> 00:02:17.399 productive about what's going on. 00:02:17.399 --> 00:02:20.819 So this is one of the number one questions I get all the time. 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:23.429 Now it's like, oh, you're so positive, but like how? 00:02:23.434 --> 00:02:27.239 How do you deal with a person that comes at you with negative news and 00:02:27.489 --> 00:02:31.389 just complaining about everything and there's a fine line because you 00:02:31.389 --> 00:02:32.729 don't want to just come across as not. 00:02:32.969 --> 00:02:36.179 You're not listening, you don't have empathy, and you're just ignoring 00:02:36.179 --> 00:02:38.939 everything they're saying because it's not certainly about that, because 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:41.279 listening makes people feel valued. 00:02:41.284 --> 00:02:41.579 Right. 00:02:41.909 --> 00:02:42.539 But I think. 00:02:43.059 --> 00:02:47.209 What I coach most people on these days is just about just not being enrolled 00:02:47.269 --> 00:02:51.199 in it and like looking at it like a little bit of a game of like, okay, 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:53.179 so I hear what you're saying, right? 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:56.114 Like what I'm understanding is that you're stressed about what's 00:02:56.114 --> 00:02:57.734 happening in the world of retail. 00:02:58.164 --> 00:03:02.024 However, I do believe that there's some good things that are happening, so let's 00:03:02.024 --> 00:03:06.254 talk about that and what we can do to like bring more of that into this conversation 00:03:06.254 --> 00:03:07.484 so that we can move it forwards. 00:03:07.484 --> 00:03:07.844 I just. 00:03:08.464 --> 00:03:11.734 I just play games all day of enrolling people into positive conversations. 00:03:12.634 --> 00:03:16.714 And actually when they leave, they feel a lot better, right? 00:03:16.774 --> 00:03:17.854 Most of the time. 00:03:17.854 --> 00:03:21.454 So I think it's more about just not buying in and getting engaged 00:03:21.454 --> 00:03:24.604 in those circular conversations that really just not productive. 00:03:24.664 --> 00:03:27.244 They don't create any kind of action plans. 00:03:27.604 --> 00:03:31.324 They don't create any strategies, they don't create good vibrations 00:03:31.374 --> 00:03:32.424 and make you feel good. 00:03:32.424 --> 00:03:34.084 So, It's it's hard. 00:03:34.084 --> 00:03:36.244 It's not easy, but for me, I have a lot of filters. 00:03:36.244 --> 00:03:38.764 Like I just, I don't listen to the news every day. 00:03:39.034 --> 00:03:41.884 And actually I got on an Uber the other day 'cause I was traveling and 00:03:41.884 --> 00:03:45.214 he literally had the news on and it was just doom and gloom and I was 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:47.584 just like, can you change the channel? 00:03:47.734 --> 00:03:53.049 Could just, I can't listen to it anymore 'cause I've just attuned myself to not 00:03:53.149 --> 00:03:55.639 and usually people call me and tell me if there's something I need to know. 00:03:56.269 --> 00:03:57.679 But it's just, yeah, it's about enrollment. 00:03:57.679 --> 00:04:00.634 It's about where you are, how you're having those conversations all day. 00:04:00.664 --> 00:04:02.164 But you do wanna acknowledge people. 00:04:02.164 --> 00:04:05.014 You don't wanna ignore them and just be like, not listening to it. 00:04:05.014 --> 00:04:05.824 'cause that's just rude. 00:04:05.854 --> 00:04:06.154 Right? 00:04:06.154 --> 00:04:07.764 And that's just not good people skills. 00:04:07.764 --> 00:04:11.544 So I spend a lot of time talking to leaders about that these days, how 00:04:11.544 --> 00:04:15.594 to not be enrolled, and then how to enroll people into a good conversation. 00:04:16.024 --> 00:04:19.174 Casey Golden: Yes, I feel that the overarching doom and gloom 00:04:19.554 --> 00:04:23.284 is very toxic these days. 00:04:23.564 --> 00:04:25.784 It doesn't take much to get a spiral. 00:04:26.584 --> 00:04:26.884 April Sabral: No. 00:04:27.244 --> 00:04:29.194 Yeah, a hundred percent. 00:04:29.404 --> 00:04:33.484 I always say if you're gonna actually have a conversation or 00:04:33.534 --> 00:04:36.024 be enrolled in a conversation with somebody, make sure it's a good one. 00:04:36.294 --> 00:04:36.624 Right? 00:04:36.624 --> 00:04:38.154 Like, Pick a good one. 00:04:38.424 --> 00:04:40.464 If you're gonna, if you're gonna have a thought, pick a good one. 00:04:40.854 --> 00:04:44.394 So, yeah, but it is a skill in the way that you do that. 00:04:44.574 --> 00:04:47.784 Because when you start practicing this all day and you start like 00:04:47.784 --> 00:04:50.814 becoming the person that enrolls people in positive conversations and 00:04:50.814 --> 00:04:54.504 positive things are happening, it gets a bit uncomfortable for people. 00:04:54.504 --> 00:04:58.314 I'm not gonna lie, because they're so used to complaining, but we've 00:04:58.314 --> 00:05:01.614 been hearing doom and gloom about retail's dead for the last 15 years. 00:05:01.704 --> 00:05:03.294 As far as I know, it's all. 00:05:04.184 --> 00:05:07.004 Right, especially somebody that comes from stores, but there'll always 00:05:07.004 --> 00:05:09.554 be stores that close and there'll always be another brand that opens. 00:05:09.914 --> 00:05:11.464 That's just the cycle of retail 00:05:11.479 --> 00:05:11.869 Casey Golden: It is. 00:05:11.869 --> 00:05:13.579 That's why leases aren't forever. 00:05:14.074 --> 00:05:14.464 April Sabral: right? 00:05:14.509 --> 00:05:15.539 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, that's right. 00:05:16.624 --> 00:05:16.904 April Sabral: A hundred 00:05:17.159 --> 00:05:17.969 Ricardo Belmar: Just part of business. 00:05:17.999 --> 00:05:18.389 Yeah. 00:05:18.779 --> 00:05:18.899 Yeah. 00:05:20.774 --> 00:05:22.424 Yeah, and I think too, at the same time, right? 00:05:22.424 --> 00:05:26.054 You, no one wants to be a leader just to lead people down that 00:05:26.054 --> 00:05:29.084 negative path and to always be leading into gloom and doom, right? 00:05:29.084 --> 00:05:33.584 The whole point to being in that leadership role is to help the 00:05:33.584 --> 00:05:36.554 team aspire to do something right and to accomplish something. 00:05:36.554 --> 00:05:40.304 And if you're not being positive about that and encouraging more positivity 00:05:40.304 --> 00:05:42.974 than how do you ever get them across the finish line on any goal? 00:05:43.629 --> 00:05:46.509 April Sabral: Yeah, and I just remember that when I got given goals and I was 00:05:46.509 --> 00:05:50.229 like, oh Lord, how am I gonna make sure that my team is achieving this with me? 00:05:51.099 --> 00:05:55.929 I could see literally when I would show up and like start kind of complaining about 00:05:55.929 --> 00:06:00.129 the goals or saying they're not realistic and I'd be enrolling my team in that. 00:06:00.129 --> 00:06:02.679 And then they would start believing that because I was saying it, 00:06:02.679 --> 00:06:03.669 'cause I had such an influence. 00:06:03.669 --> 00:06:06.669 Whereas if I would show up and be like, okay, this goal is big, 00:06:06.669 --> 00:06:08.079 we're gonna chunk it down, right? 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:09.729 Like how are we gonna achieve this? 00:06:09.729 --> 00:06:10.419 What can you do? 00:06:10.419 --> 00:06:12.129 What can we do to inspire people? 00:06:12.129 --> 00:06:15.189 And I would enroll them in the positive and I could just see the difference 00:06:15.189 --> 00:06:17.169 in the results immediately happen. 00:06:17.679 --> 00:06:19.337 And so that's where I'm. 00:06:19.747 --> 00:06:22.717 That's where I learned that skill actually working through retail in the 00:06:22.717 --> 00:06:26.467 stores at times where it was tough, where goals were hard to achieve. 00:06:26.887 --> 00:06:29.757 So, yeah, but it's the number one question I get asked all the 00:06:29.757 --> 00:06:32.457 time, how do I deal with negative people that are coming at me? 00:06:32.457 --> 00:06:33.717 And that's why I wrote a whole book about it. 00:06:34.812 --> 00:06:39.242 Casey Golden: Yeah, personally I've seen a lot of my doom and gloom. 00:06:39.242 --> 00:06:41.882 I think we all know who those people are in our lives. 00:06:42.362 --> 00:06:45.662 Do you find, I find that most of them aren't even aware. 00:06:46.397 --> 00:06:50.267 I have to kind of bring it to their attention and say like, this isn't 00:06:50.267 --> 00:06:55.247 gonna help us, or this isn't gonna help me and I need to say this, so if you 00:06:55.247 --> 00:06:58.757 wanna talk later this evening about it, it's fine, but I can't do it at noon. 00:06:59.807 --> 00:07:00.587 April Sabral: Yeah, they don't. 00:07:00.647 --> 00:07:01.937 Yeah, no, it's so true. 00:07:01.937 --> 00:07:02.417 They don't know. 00:07:02.417 --> 00:07:05.447 And actually I flip it on them, so I, like you just shared, 00:07:05.452 --> 00:07:06.467 like, it's not helping me. 00:07:06.467 --> 00:07:07.817 I actually say to 'em, it's not helping 00:07:07.917 --> 00:07:08.357 Casey Golden: not helping you. 00:07:08.747 --> 00:07:09.047 Yeah. 00:07:09.152 --> 00:07:09.452 April Sabral: Yeah. 00:07:09.452 --> 00:07:12.932 Like, I'm not helping you if I perpetuate this conversation, right? 00:07:12.932 --> 00:07:15.512 Because you are not gonna feel good if you keep talking about it. 00:07:15.512 --> 00:07:18.092 Now we need to vent, we need to get a little about, but I usually 00:07:18.092 --> 00:07:19.472 say, you've got 17 seconds. 00:07:20.072 --> 00:07:21.782 And then like, we're moving on, right? 00:07:21.782 --> 00:07:23.162 Like, that's it. 00:07:23.162 --> 00:07:27.032 But yeah, it's, I always say, I'm not helping you if I, the best way I can 00:07:27.032 --> 00:07:31.202 support you is to help you find a solution or help you find a better thought or 00:07:31.202 --> 00:07:33.242 a better feeling in this situation. 00:07:33.762 --> 00:07:37.272 Because you're gonna leave just uplifted and feeling better about everything. 00:07:37.272 --> 00:07:41.587 So, Yeah, but most people are not aware when they're doing it because we're 00:07:41.587 --> 00:07:42.907 just programmed that way in the world. 00:07:42.907 --> 00:07:43.777 Think about news. 00:07:43.837 --> 00:07:45.787 News is all negative news. 00:07:45.787 --> 00:07:48.697 When do you ever turn on the news and really hear like great things? 00:07:49.057 --> 00:07:49.597 You just don't, 00:07:50.257 --> 00:07:51.627 Casey Golden: I don't really listen to it anymore 00:07:51.762 --> 00:07:52.122 April Sabral: No, 00:07:52.407 --> 00:07:53.817 Casey Golden: It's not how I wanna start my morning. 00:07:54.132 --> 00:07:55.122 April Sabral: Yeah, exactly. 00:07:55.317 --> 00:07:56.097 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, exactly. 00:07:56.294 --> 00:08:00.087 Well, April, thank you so much for sharing another valuable insight with 00:08:00.087 --> 00:08:03.677 us and a hundred percent with you on that, that the enrolling in the gloom and 00:08:03.677 --> 00:08:05.897 doom is never going to lead to success. 00:08:06.077 --> 00:08:08.177 You've got to find ways to turn that around. 00:08:08.417 --> 00:08:09.737 Thanks so much for sharing that with us. 00:08:10.442 --> 00:08:10.932 April Sabral: Oh, you're welcome. 00:08:11.702 --> 00:08:12.062 Thank you. 00:08:12.412 --> 00:08:12.887 Casey Golden: Thanks April. 00:08:14.042 --> 00:08:18.072 if you've enjoyed our show, please consider giving us a five star rating and 00:08:18.072 --> 00:08:20.412 review on Apple podcasts and Goodpods. 00:08:20.922 --> 00:08:25.282 Remember to smash that subscribe button in your favorite podcast player and tune 00:08:25.282 --> 00:08:27.412 in on YouTube, so you don't miss a minute. 00:08:28.032 --> 00:08:29.802 I'm your cohost, Casey Golden. 00:08:30.402 --> 00:08:32.832 Ricardo Belmar: Please share your feedback with us on Twitter at Casey 00:08:32.832 --> 00:08:36.922 C Golden, Ricardo underscore Belmar, and at RetailRazor, or find us on 00:08:36.932 --> 00:08:38.382 LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram. 00:08:38.817 --> 00:08:42.777 For the best highlights from each episode, shipped straight to your inbox, subscribe 00:08:42.777 --> 00:08:46.197 to our Substack newsletter for full episode transcripts and bonus content. 00:08:46.517 --> 00:08:47.837 I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar. 00:08:48.542 --> 00:08:49.452 Casey Golden: Thanks for joining us. 00:08:50.117 --> 00:08:51.887 Ricardo Belmar: Until next time, keep cutting through 00:08:51.887 --> 00:08:53.147 the clutter and stay sharp. 00:08:53.237 --> 00:08:55.577 This is the Retail Razor Blade to Greatness.