WEBVTT 00:00:01.831 --> 00:00:04.411 April Sabral: And so I always think of strategy without 00:00:04.411 --> 00:00:05.461 accountability is just hope. 00:00:05.461 --> 00:00:07.861 I had a leader a long time ago that said, hope is not a plan. 00:00:08.211 --> 00:00:09.681 And it followed through. 00:00:09.771 --> 00:00:10.011 Right. 00:00:10.011 --> 00:00:12.561 That's really important because I've taken on so many teams where everybody's 00:00:12.561 --> 00:00:14.001 like, the whole team's gotta go. 00:00:14.001 --> 00:00:15.291 You've gotta replace them all. 00:00:15.621 --> 00:00:19.436 And the first thing I always find out in that step really, that that 00:00:19.436 --> 00:00:22.646 situation is usually people just weren't clear on what was expected of them. 00:00:22.841 --> 00:00:27.921 So fewer excuses, faster problem solving and more peer-to-peer feedback. 00:00:28.551 --> 00:00:34.051 When you have a transparent culture of accountability, everybody will give. 00:00:34.576 --> 00:00:35.866 I learned this at Apple, actually. 00:00:35.896 --> 00:00:36.916 Fearless feedback. 00:00:37.156 --> 00:00:40.636 So we were trained to give fearless feedback, to give peer-to-peer feedback. 00:00:40.666 --> 00:00:44.926 We weren't scared of providing it, it was enabling us as a 00:00:44.926 --> 00:00:46.426 team to achieve our goals. 00:00:46.696 --> 00:00:49.906 So your goal should always be like, how do I get more time back in my schedule 00:00:50.056 --> 00:00:53.206 so that I can coach and develop people to be successful at what they're doing? 00:00:59.055 --> 00:01:01.335 Ricardo Belmar: Welcome to Blade to Greatness, the podcast where 00:01:01.335 --> 00:01:05.205 retail leaders sharpen their edge, one essential skill at a time. 00:01:05.415 --> 00:01:06.375 I'm Ricardo Belmar. 00:01:06.658 --> 00:01:07.738 Casey Golden: And I am Casey Golden. 00:01:08.008 --> 00:01:11.668 This episode dives into the leadership truth that changes everything. 00:01:12.268 --> 00:01:14.188 Accountability is not punishment. 00:01:14.278 --> 00:01:14.998 It's freedom. 00:01:15.401 --> 00:01:19.922 When expectations are clear and leaders hold steady, teams feel 00:01:19.922 --> 00:01:23.912 safer, move faster, and own outcomes. 00:01:24.272 --> 00:01:24.842 Ricardo Belmar: That's right. 00:01:24.842 --> 00:01:28.682 Today's guest is April Sabral, a leadership coach and bestselling 00:01:28.682 --> 00:01:32.582 author who transforms retail cultures into engines of ownership. 00:01:33.032 --> 00:01:36.542 April explains why strategy without accountability is just hope. 00:01:36.992 --> 00:01:42.122 How consistent follow through turns plans into results, and why a culture of 00:01:42.152 --> 00:01:46.802 ownership is the new competitive advantage that cuts turnover, lifts productivity, 00:01:46.802 --> 00:01:48.842 and builds self-managing teams. 00:01:49.228 --> 00:01:49.498 Casey Golden: Yeah. 00:01:49.498 --> 00:01:53.638 If you want practical ways to make accountability, feel empowering instead 00:01:53.638 --> 00:02:00.208 of punitive, ready to use rituals that drive execution and hiring and coaching 00:02:00.208 --> 00:02:02.668 moves that create lasting ownership. 00:02:02.848 --> 00:02:05.908 This is the episode that will give you the playbook. 00:02:06.411 --> 00:02:10.521 Now before we jump in, I have one quick ask for our listeners and viewers. 00:02:10.941 --> 00:02:15.561 If you like our show, please consider giving us a five star rating and drop 00:02:15.561 --> 00:02:20.091 a quick review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or Good pods. 00:02:20.631 --> 00:02:21.861 We appreciate your support. 00:02:22.461 --> 00:02:24.801 Ricardo Belmar: That's right, and we would be remiss if we didn't drop 00:02:24.801 --> 00:02:28.641 a quick plug for the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network. 00:02:28.971 --> 00:02:31.251 So please do yourself a favor, go check 'em out. 00:02:31.611 --> 00:02:35.031 There's the Retail Razor Show, Retail Transformers and Data Blades. 00:02:35.391 --> 00:02:38.541 If you're on Apple Podcasts, just search for the Retail Razor Channel to 00:02:38.541 --> 00:02:42.936 find them or visit our YouTube channel and see all of us in our wonder and 00:02:42.936 --> 00:02:44.856 glory on video and watch them all. 00:02:45.201 --> 00:02:45.531 Casey Golden: All right. 00:02:45.531 --> 00:02:47.061 With that said, let's start the show. 00:02:53.904 --> 00:02:56.364 April, welcome back to another Blade of Greatness. 00:02:56.394 --> 00:02:58.044 Always enjoy having you on the show. 00:02:58.464 --> 00:02:59.304 April Sabral: Thank you so much. 00:02:59.304 --> 00:03:00.234 I'm so excited to be here. 00:03:00.651 --> 00:03:03.381 Ricardo Belmar: So today you're gonna talk about a, another very important 00:03:03.381 --> 00:03:05.631 skill every retail leader needs to master. 00:03:05.661 --> 00:03:07.251 Positive accountability. 00:03:07.701 --> 00:03:12.196 Now, many leaders may have a misconception about what accountability really means. 00:03:12.376 --> 00:03:16.486 I think you've spoken often about how accountability is really a growth 00:03:16.486 --> 00:03:20.506 multiplier and truly a positive characteristic of good leadership. 00:03:20.506 --> 00:03:22.886 And this is really, I think, fundamental in your new book, right? 00:03:22.886 --> 00:03:23.966 So tell us more about this. 00:03:24.195 --> 00:03:24.525 April Sabral: Yeah. 00:03:24.525 --> 00:03:28.245 I always think about accountability as a step-by-step process. 00:03:28.305 --> 00:03:31.575 Most leaders, when I ask them what accountability is, they actually tell 00:03:31.575 --> 00:03:36.350 me it's a performance conversation or an icky conversation, and it's 00:03:36.410 --> 00:03:39.380 when somebody's not doing their job well, and that's how they view it. 00:03:39.740 --> 00:03:42.650 So it's associated very negatively. 00:03:42.650 --> 00:03:45.020 It's always oh, I wanna hold them accountable, but what 00:03:45.020 --> 00:03:45.860 does that actually mean? 00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:49.900 And how can you actually create that across your whole organization. 00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:53.920 If you have a hundred people, 50 people to 5,000 people and upwards, right? 00:03:53.980 --> 00:03:57.610 And so I always think of strategy without accountability is just hope. 00:03:57.610 --> 00:04:00.010 I had a leader a long time ago that said, hope is not a plan. 00:04:00.350 --> 00:04:01.040 You can hope. 00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:02.720 You hold people accountable. 00:04:03.050 --> 00:04:05.450 You can hope they do what you want them to do. 00:04:05.450 --> 00:04:09.120 And so, that was really an eye-opening conversation I had with her. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:12.430 And then I realized, yeah, it actually isn't just an idea. 00:04:12.430 --> 00:04:14.080 It's actually a step-by-step process. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:14.380 I don't know. 00:04:14.380 --> 00:04:18.340 Retail people, we love acronyms, we love processes, we love following things. 00:04:18.700 --> 00:04:23.950 And so I think breaking it down into a clear step-by-step process 00:04:24.310 --> 00:04:29.650 is really important for everybody to know what accountability is. 00:04:29.710 --> 00:04:34.775 If you ask and try this, if you're at a meeting or a dinner table, 00:04:34.785 --> 00:04:37.665 maybe not a dinner table, maybe a morning meeting with your team and 00:04:37.665 --> 00:04:39.915 you ask them, what is accountability? 00:04:39.945 --> 00:04:40.935 Everybody watching this? 00:04:40.935 --> 00:04:42.345 Just go and ask your team this, this week. 00:04:42.585 --> 00:04:44.085 You'll get 25 different answers. 00:04:44.115 --> 00:04:49.035 That in itself creates a problem, because the whole thing around accountability 00:04:49.035 --> 00:04:51.375 is about creating clarity and ownership. 00:04:51.615 --> 00:04:53.055 So if you don't know what it is. 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:57.000 You actually can't have clarity and ownership, right? 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:01.140 So it has to be, it has to be a clear step process. 00:05:01.170 --> 00:05:05.080 And I think accountability works best that way and when it's in visible 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:07.025 steps that everybody can articulate. 00:05:07.494 --> 00:05:08.514 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, I think that's so true. 00:05:08.724 --> 00:05:12.859 So one of the things that you said before that always stands out to me and you just 00:05:12.859 --> 00:05:17.009 touched on it, that, a strategy without accountability is really just hope. 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:18.819 And like you said, hope is not really a strategy. 00:05:20.119 --> 00:05:23.949 So what's a measurable cadence or maybe a metric set that a retail 00:05:23.949 --> 00:05:28.089 leader should use to really ensure that consistent execution, like you 00:05:28.089 --> 00:05:30.669 were just talking about, without resorting to micromanagement. 00:05:31.114 --> 00:05:34.234 April Sabral: Yeah, because micromanaging is when you're not actually setting up 00:05:34.234 --> 00:05:38.264 the team within a clear accountability framework because now everything's 00:05:38.264 --> 00:05:40.274 going wrong and you're jumping in and you're having to correct 00:05:40.274 --> 00:05:42.794 everything and fix everything, and that doesn't feel good for anybody. 00:05:43.184 --> 00:05:46.724 So I'm gonna go back to the, the nine steps because I think that 00:05:46.724 --> 00:05:47.894 is something you can measure. 00:05:48.209 --> 00:05:52.589 There is nine clear steps in it, and the first one being just setting people up 00:05:52.589 --> 00:05:55.049 with clear expectations and ownership. 00:05:55.049 --> 00:05:57.839 And instead of saying to somebody, I'm holding you accountable to 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:00.059 this, say, you own this outcome. 00:06:00.809 --> 00:06:05.529 It's a shift, it's a differentiator because it's okay, I've just clarified 00:06:05.889 --> 00:06:07.089 what I'm actually holding them. 00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:09.999 What accountability is, you own this outcome. 00:06:10.059 --> 00:06:11.439 You know what that means, right? 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:12.369 When I say that to you. 00:06:12.909 --> 00:06:15.279 So within the nine steps there is. 00:06:15.769 --> 00:06:20.059 These very specific ways of making sure that they're in place. 00:06:20.059 --> 00:06:22.519 And I think then you can measure that because you can now measure. 00:06:23.164 --> 00:06:24.184 You own this outcome. 00:06:24.184 --> 00:06:27.784 If you don't get the outcome we want, you actually owned it, whatever that is. 00:06:27.784 --> 00:06:31.074 Whether that be when I was in stores as a sales goal, leading a company, a 00:06:31.074 --> 00:06:34.734 sales goal, a payroll goal, my CFO said, I'm holding you accountable for this. 00:06:34.734 --> 00:06:39.174 I'd be like, okay, but if he says, you own this outcome, this is what you are 00:06:39.174 --> 00:06:40.644 being measured on your performance. 00:06:40.644 --> 00:06:42.444 I'm like, oh, right, okay. 00:06:42.534 --> 00:06:45.504 I own the comp goal that you're asking me to do. 00:06:45.504 --> 00:06:47.034 So that's it. 00:06:47.034 --> 00:06:48.834 It's the same KPIs. 00:06:49.749 --> 00:06:54.359 But it's applying the accountability framework to those KPIs so 00:06:54.359 --> 00:06:55.794 everybody's really clear. 00:06:56.618 --> 00:06:58.988 Casey Golden: That also allows us to operationalize 00:06:59.018 --> 00:07:01.028 accountability so teams can. 00:07:01.508 --> 00:07:05.198 And experiences of freedom rather than a punishment, because it is, somebody 00:07:05.198 --> 00:07:06.468 says I'm gonna hold you accountable. 00:07:06.468 --> 00:07:09.088 It's just ah, like I didn't do anything wrong yet. 00:07:09.608 --> 00:07:13.248 Or, having the freedom of, if this is my outcome and I'm responsible 00:07:13.248 --> 00:07:18.288 for it, then I understand that I also have some leeway and some freedom to 00:07:18.288 --> 00:07:22.728 solve problems without having to ask permission can just go ahead and say 00:07:22.738 --> 00:07:24.328 I'm accountable for that end result. 00:07:25.018 --> 00:07:26.098 This is happening. 00:07:26.868 --> 00:07:30.438 I need to do some recon here and just have the feel like you have 00:07:30.438 --> 00:07:35.178 the freedom and ownership to fix things along the way without having 00:07:35.178 --> 00:07:38.328 to tap into management again. 00:07:39.018 --> 00:07:40.098 April Sabral: Yeah, a hundred percent. 00:07:40.128 --> 00:07:41.388 I think that's so key, right? 00:07:41.388 --> 00:07:45.688 Because I don't know how many times you've been in a meeting both of you, 00:07:45.688 --> 00:07:48.508 where you've sat there and somebody says something and you nod your 00:07:48.508 --> 00:07:50.848 head and you walk away and you're like, oh my God, what did they say? 00:07:50.848 --> 00:07:51.688 What do I have to do? 00:07:51.688 --> 00:07:55.558 And you try to find five other people to figure that out, right? 00:07:55.558 --> 00:07:59.163 And so that doesn't create ownership and freedom, what you just said, 00:07:59.573 --> 00:08:04.113 Casey, around having the freedom to go and take ownership and without 00:08:04.113 --> 00:08:05.553 being babysat or micromanaged. 00:08:06.003 --> 00:08:09.213 And that's the thing, you want everybody walking out that meeting being very, very 00:08:09.213 --> 00:08:12.753 clear, very clear on what's expected. 00:08:13.153 --> 00:08:15.403 And that is then operationalizing it. 00:08:15.463 --> 00:08:17.293 It's just not this idea. 00:08:17.353 --> 00:08:17.623 Right. 00:08:17.623 --> 00:08:21.383 It becomes practical, it becomes executionable if that's even a 00:08:21.383 --> 00:08:25.598 word, but, but I think that's, that's really important and, and 00:08:25.598 --> 00:08:26.918 I see that time and time again. 00:08:27.368 --> 00:08:31.988 And you need to build in rituals, like using different language, validating 00:08:31.988 --> 00:08:36.018 for understanding putting follow up in your week having a standing 00:08:36.018 --> 00:08:39.848 meeting where you're just talking about, where you're at in the process. 00:08:40.198 --> 00:08:41.668 And it followed through. 00:08:41.758 --> 00:08:41.998 Right. 00:08:41.998 --> 00:08:44.548 That's really important because I've taken on so many teams where everybody's 00:08:44.548 --> 00:08:45.988 like, the whole team's gotta go. 00:08:45.988 --> 00:08:47.278 You've gotta replace them all. 00:08:47.608 --> 00:08:51.423 And the first thing I always find out in that step really, that that 00:08:51.423 --> 00:08:54.633 situation is usually people just weren't clear on what was expected of them. 00:08:54.828 --> 00:08:54.908 Ricardo Belmar: Hmm. 00:08:55.293 --> 00:08:57.963 April Sabral: You can just clarify it and get them moving 00:08:57.993 --> 00:08:59.883 forwards to execute what you want. 00:08:59.943 --> 00:09:03.453 That's how the operationalization becomes part of the results. 00:09:03.983 --> 00:09:08.033 And people walk around with 10 different expectations in the head not knowing 00:09:08.033 --> 00:09:10.073 really what the company wants of them. 00:09:10.223 --> 00:09:11.678 'cause the leader hasn't been able to communicate that. 00:09:12.143 --> 00:09:12.473 Ricardo Belmar: Right. 00:09:12.593 --> 00:09:12.713 Yeah. 00:09:12.713 --> 00:09:16.763 It really is about creating that culture of positive accountability. 00:09:16.813 --> 00:09:21.053 And I suppose now if we look at that, once you have that culture 00:09:21.103 --> 00:09:25.453 I'm sure it must really change those day-to-day employee engagement and job 00:09:25.453 --> 00:09:28.903 satisfaction, just general attitudes about what they're doing, because 00:09:28.903 --> 00:09:30.948 they're getting that added clarity. 00:09:30.948 --> 00:09:34.638 Are there any short term signals that leaders should watch for that tell them 00:09:34.638 --> 00:09:39.018 that yes, this is working, that we really have improved and shifted the mindset? 00:09:39.793 --> 00:09:42.763 April Sabral: Yeah, I think looking for fewer excuses, 00:09:43.128 --> 00:09:43.368 Ricardo Belmar: Hmm 00:09:43.693 --> 00:09:44.083 April Sabral: right? 00:09:44.083 --> 00:09:47.293 Blame game, like, oh, the company hasn't given me everything I need. 00:09:47.503 --> 00:09:49.153 There's no traffic in the store. 00:09:49.363 --> 00:09:51.403 Like that sale wasn't good enough. 00:09:51.453 --> 00:09:53.703 Look for fewer excuses. 00:09:53.733 --> 00:09:56.673 ' cause when people own something and they're positive and they wanna go 00:09:56.673 --> 00:10:00.483 and reach that result, they're not gonna blame things externally to them. 00:10:00.483 --> 00:10:05.563 So fewer excuses, faster problem solving and more peer-to-peer feedback. 00:10:06.193 --> 00:10:11.693 When you have a transparent culture of accountability, everybody will give. 00:10:12.218 --> 00:10:13.508 I learned this at Apple, actually. 00:10:13.538 --> 00:10:14.558 Fearless feedback. 00:10:14.798 --> 00:10:18.278 So we were trained to give fearless feedback, to give peer-to-peer feedback. 00:10:18.308 --> 00:10:22.568 We weren't scared of providing it, it was enabling us as a 00:10:22.568 --> 00:10:24.068 team to achieve our goals. 00:10:24.338 --> 00:10:28.763 So that's really important and, when team members actually start coaching each 00:10:28.763 --> 00:10:30.893 other without you stepping in as a leader. 00:10:31.193 --> 00:10:35.843 Accountability has now shifted from being top down to actually cultural. 00:10:35.943 --> 00:10:40.953 I'm gonna hold my team member accountable and coach that person and 00:10:40.953 --> 00:10:42.963 help that person solve that problem. 00:10:43.023 --> 00:10:45.803 And we don't always need to go and ask, the leader. 00:10:46.283 --> 00:10:49.283 A lot of times when I'm talking to leaders, they're like, I feel 00:10:49.283 --> 00:10:51.653 like I'm Google of my department. 00:10:51.653 --> 00:10:53.963 Like I'm getting questions all day. 00:10:54.323 --> 00:10:54.803 Right. 00:10:54.848 --> 00:10:55.943 Ricardo Belmar: comes to them on everything. 00:10:56.243 --> 00:10:59.363 April Sabral: Everybody comes to them, and that's because they have not 00:10:59.363 --> 00:11:01.463 set up a culture of accountability. 00:11:01.463 --> 00:11:05.693 So if that's happening to you, you really need to reflect and think 00:11:05.693 --> 00:11:10.253 about that and then ask yourself like, how do I shift this to ownership? 00:11:10.493 --> 00:11:13.283 You should not be getting the questions all day. 00:11:13.283 --> 00:11:14.913 I remember having a regional director that said to me. 00:11:15.663 --> 00:11:18.813 If you can't shift from answering the phone all day when you're off, 00:11:18.813 --> 00:11:20.043 you're never gonna get more stores. 00:11:20.223 --> 00:11:20.853 You just can't. 00:11:21.093 --> 00:11:23.943 You can, you can't manage one and, and delegate that. 00:11:24.453 --> 00:11:25.863 You're not gonna be able to do it tomorrow. 00:11:25.863 --> 00:11:27.088 So how do you scale your leadership? 00:11:27.088 --> 00:11:27.368 Right. 00:11:27.678 --> 00:11:30.048 Casey Golden: If an organization is, is starting to make these 00:11:30.048 --> 00:11:34.818 changes and starting to implement accountability practices. 00:11:35.301 --> 00:11:41.001 What would directly improve, like employee satisfaction or reduce burnout, 00:11:41.031 --> 00:11:47.241 or what should they be looking at as I'm starting, this is where I'm gonna start. 00:11:47.571 --> 00:11:51.351 This is the goal and this is how I'm gonna measure it. 00:11:52.041 --> 00:11:54.591 April Sabral: Yeah, I think about this a lot 'cause I had a retail client 00:11:54.591 --> 00:11:59.451 where burnout was super duper high because no one knew who owned what. 00:12:00.051 --> 00:12:01.041 Like literally. 00:12:01.371 --> 00:12:02.931 So we had to start there. 00:12:02.991 --> 00:12:07.881 We implemented like accountability maps for each role, and each role 00:12:07.881 --> 00:12:13.551 had three clear outcomes that they needed to deliver within 90 days. 00:12:14.121 --> 00:12:19.701 And just making sure that people were clear on what needed to be done. 00:12:20.301 --> 00:12:24.836 Literally stopped people stepping on each other's toes. 00:12:25.046 --> 00:12:29.906 Because when things aren't clear and you don't know what your lane is, then you 00:12:29.906 --> 00:12:31.916 start stepping into other people's roles. 00:12:31.916 --> 00:12:33.596 I dunno, I've had that happen to me a lot, right? 00:12:33.596 --> 00:12:34.556 When clarity wasn't there. 00:12:34.556 --> 00:12:35.096 What do you own? 00:12:35.096 --> 00:12:35.816 What do I own? 00:12:35.996 --> 00:12:37.856 And that causes a problem. 00:12:37.916 --> 00:12:42.296 And I think everybody wants to know what's expected of them. 00:12:42.561 --> 00:12:46.931 If, if you ask any employee on your team, are you clear of what's expected? 00:12:46.931 --> 00:12:50.381 And they say no, then you need to really sit down with that person and make 00:12:50.381 --> 00:12:53.261 sure that they understand what's clear so they're not doing 20 more things 00:12:53.261 --> 00:12:57.611 than they should be, and that they can feel like they can achieve success. 00:12:57.611 --> 00:13:00.611 What does it look like for you to be successful? 00:13:00.971 --> 00:13:06.411 And when we did that with this specific client within 90 days, people stopped 00:13:06.411 --> 00:13:08.211 stepping on each other's toes like. 00:13:08.501 --> 00:13:10.241 The engagement ha rose. 00:13:10.241 --> 00:13:15.201 People were really happy about what they were doing and managers finally had the 00:13:15.201 --> 00:13:18.561 time to coach instead of just firefight. 00:13:18.681 --> 00:13:23.001 And I think that's the big one because why should you care about this as a leader? 00:13:23.121 --> 00:13:26.241 Because if you get more time back in your schedule, it's not about 00:13:26.241 --> 00:13:28.601 you going and having another day off or like, skipping out. 00:13:28.631 --> 00:13:31.361 It's about you having more time to coach people. 00:13:31.691 --> 00:13:33.581 People wanna be coached, they wanna be developed. 00:13:33.971 --> 00:13:37.181 So your goal should always be like, how do I get more time back in my schedule 00:13:37.331 --> 00:13:40.481 so that I can coach and develop people to be successful at what they're doing? 00:13:40.571 --> 00:13:42.401 And just keep coming back to that. 00:13:42.491 --> 00:13:45.581 And if people aren't doing all of what they need to be doing, you have to 00:13:45.581 --> 00:13:48.396 reflective, I've been clear, is there a clear outcome, is there measurements? 00:13:48.416 --> 00:13:50.116 Is there objective set? 00:13:50.496 --> 00:13:51.071 All of that. 00:13:51.071 --> 00:13:55.451 And it sounds really obvious, but I can't tell you how many times. 00:13:56.196 --> 00:13:57.726 People are just not clear on what they need to do. 00:13:57.726 --> 00:14:00.306 And that is step number, like literally. 00:14:00.396 --> 00:14:02.106 And that's because repeat back to me. 00:14:02.106 --> 00:14:06.126 Tell me what you understood about what success looked like. 00:14:06.186 --> 00:14:07.536 Nobody ever asked that question. 00:14:07.926 --> 00:14:09.036 I had a leader tell me the other day. 00:14:09.036 --> 00:14:12.636 That means I have to spend more time then clarifying and teaching. 00:14:12.996 --> 00:14:13.776 Yeah. 00:14:14.376 --> 00:14:14.646 Casey Golden: Yes. 00:14:14.916 --> 00:14:16.216 Ricardo Belmar: But it's time well invested. 00:14:17.076 --> 00:14:20.496 Casey Golden: comes with building trust to get a no, 00:14:21.046 --> 00:14:21.336 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. 00:14:21.546 --> 00:14:26.106 Casey Golden: because if, if you don't have that trust as a leader and you're 00:14:26.106 --> 00:14:31.806 not present and your senior leadership comes to you and asks you that question. 00:14:32.196 --> 00:14:35.406 You're just gonna be like, well, of course, even though you may not, 00:14:35.921 --> 00:14:36.211 April Sabral: Yeah, 00:14:36.276 --> 00:14:39.306 Casey Golden: you have that trust there, you're just gonna say, of course. 00:14:39.576 --> 00:14:40.626 And they're gonna walk away 00:14:40.776 --> 00:14:41.196 Ricardo Belmar: exactly. 00:14:41.196 --> 00:14:42.096 and then nothing happens. 00:14:42.276 --> 00:14:42.666 Casey Golden: here 00:14:42.786 --> 00:14:42.996 Ricardo Belmar: right? 00:14:42.996 --> 00:14:43.206 Yeah. 00:14:43.206 --> 00:14:45.456 And then the outcomes don't happen the way you want them and 00:14:45.846 --> 00:14:47.436 April Sabral: and then everybody's like, oh, change the team. 00:14:47.556 --> 00:14:47.796 Ricardo Belmar: Right. 00:14:47.796 --> 00:14:48.456 Change the team. 00:14:48.456 --> 00:14:50.166 When it really, it had to do with the leadership. 00:14:50.166 --> 00:14:50.176 Yeah. 00:14:50.256 --> 00:14:51.486 April Sabral: Right, and that's not the answer. 00:14:51.486 --> 00:14:53.676 Because that is so costly. 00:14:53.856 --> 00:14:57.396 It's so costly to keep replacing team members, and then you just 00:14:57.396 --> 00:14:59.976 end up in the same cycle, so you have to fix that problem. 00:15:00.141 --> 00:15:00.861 Ricardo Belmar: And break the cycle. 00:15:00.921 --> 00:15:01.251 Yeah. 00:15:01.641 --> 00:15:01.821 Yeah. 00:15:01.821 --> 00:15:05.301 No, it's a great, great point as to why, this idea of positive accountability 00:15:05.301 --> 00:15:07.106 is so, so critical and so important. 00:15:07.856 --> 00:15:10.406 So April, this has been another enlightening discussion. 00:15:10.406 --> 00:15:13.316 Thank you so much for highlighting that the significance of positive 00:15:13.346 --> 00:15:16.136 accountability and really it's almost like where leadership begins. 00:15:16.552 --> 00:15:16.942 April Sabral: It does. 00:15:17.161 --> 00:15:19.261 Casey Golden: You are an incredible model for positivity. 00:15:19.311 --> 00:15:22.611 And I've said it before on the show, we need more retailers 00:15:22.881 --> 00:15:24.351 to think and act this way. 00:15:24.809 --> 00:15:27.119 Well, Ricardo, I'd say that this episode is a wrap. 00:15:33.828 --> 00:15:36.258 If you enjoyed our show, we have a simple ask. 00:15:36.528 --> 00:15:40.038 Please consider giving us a five star rating and review on Apple 00:15:40.038 --> 00:15:42.648 Podcast, Spotify, or Good pods. 00:15:42.948 --> 00:15:47.118 Remember to smash that subscribe button in your favorite podcast player and 00:15:47.118 --> 00:15:50.658 like, and subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss an episode. 00:15:51.133 --> 00:15:52.063 I'm Casey Golden. 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:56.209 Ricardo Belmar: Please follow us and share your feedback at Retail Razor on 00:15:56.209 --> 00:15:58.669 LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads and Instagram. 00:15:59.239 --> 00:16:02.929 Subscribe to our Substack newsletter to preview the best highlights from 00:16:02.929 --> 00:16:05.299 each episode writing your email inbox. 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:10.369 Visit our website at retailrazor.com for transcripts and more info about 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:12.829 each episode and our amazing guests. 00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:16.639 Blade to Greatness is part of the Retail Razor Podcast Network. 00:16:17.001 --> 00:16:18.071 I'm Ricardo Belmar. 00:16:18.504 --> 00:16:19.684 Casey Golden: Thanks for joining us. 00:16:20.149 --> 00:16:23.479 Ricardo Belmar: Until next time, stay sharp, lead boldly, and stay human. 00:16:23.599 --> 00:16:25.909 This is the Retail Razor Blade to Greatness.