WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.459 So it's early February, 2026. The calendar has 00:00:03.459 --> 00:00:06.660 officially turned. The holiday returns are, well, 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:09.310 they're mostly processed. And if you work in 00:00:09.310 --> 00:00:12.189 retail, you know exactly what this vibe is right 00:00:12.189 --> 00:00:14.730 now. It's a very specific frequency. It is the 00:00:14.730 --> 00:00:16.870 morning after. It really is, isn't it? Yeah. 00:00:16.910 --> 00:00:20.089 The National Retail Federation's big show NRF 00:00:20.089 --> 00:00:23.010 is in the rear view mirror. The badge lanyards 00:00:23.010 --> 00:00:24.789 are probably tangled up in a drawer somewhere. 00:00:24.929 --> 00:00:27.870 The Javits Center is empty. Right. But the whole 00:00:27.870 --> 00:00:30.210 industry is kind of sitting in this weird limbo. 00:00:30.289 --> 00:00:34.390 It's a mix of exhaustion and adrenaline. You've 00:00:34.390 --> 00:00:37.030 just spent days looking at the absolute cutting 00:00:37.030 --> 00:00:39.750 edge of what is possible. Exactly. I mean, you've 00:00:39.750 --> 00:00:41.570 seen the robots patrolling the aisles. You've 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:43.770 seen the AI that predicts what a customer wants 00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:46.210 before they even walk in the door. The, you know, 00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:48.509 shiny toys factor was off the charts this year. 00:00:48.630 --> 00:00:50.570 But now you're back in your desk. The office 00:00:50.570 --> 00:00:53.429 is quiet. And the coffees lukewarm. And you have 00:00:53.429 --> 00:00:55.509 a P &L to manage. And that is where the panic 00:00:55.509 --> 00:00:57.729 can set in. Because seeing the future is the 00:00:57.729 --> 00:01:00.649 easy part. Buying the tech is, well, relatively 00:01:00.649 --> 00:01:03.189 speaking, it's easy. But getting 5 ,000 store 00:01:03.189 --> 00:01:05.810 associates across three time zones to actually 00:01:05.810 --> 00:01:08.090 use it. That's the mountain. That is the mountain. 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:10.129 And that's exactly where we are going today. 00:01:10.349 --> 00:01:12.510 We're doing a deep dive into this really timely 00:01:12.510 --> 00:01:15.829 piece of strategy. It's called From NRF to Reality. 00:01:16.170 --> 00:01:18.129 It was published just recently by Multimedia 00:01:18.129 --> 00:01:21.209 Plus, and it's designed to tackle this specific 00:01:21.209 --> 00:01:23.609 post -show hangover. And what I really appreciate 00:01:23.609 --> 00:01:25.989 about this source is that it isn't some technical 00:01:25.989 --> 00:01:29.480 manual. It's not about how to, you know... code 00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:32.700 the AI or integrate an API, it's more of a psychological 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:35.180 roadmap. Oh, I like that. Yeah, it really tackles 00:01:35.180 --> 00:01:39.519 the friction between boardroom strategy and break 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:41.900 room reality. The boardroom to break room gap. 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.280 OK. OK, so let's set the stage. It's the start 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:47.299 of the new fiscal year. Budgets are locked. The 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.379 strategy deck is finalized. Why is this specific 00:01:50.379 --> 00:01:53.400 moment so dangerous for retailers? Because the 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:56.159 energy is, well, it's artificially high. HQ is 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:57.599 buzzing. They have the roadmap. They're ready 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.569 to sprint. But the source identifies this core 00:02:00.569 --> 00:02:02.349 conflict right out of the gate, what they call 00:02:02.349 --> 00:02:05.310 the gap between buzz and buy -in. Which basically 00:02:05.310 --> 00:02:08.110 means we're excited. Why aren't they? Precisely. 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:10.909 Think about the classic rollout. You have a team 00:02:10.909 --> 00:02:13.389 at the support center who's been working on, 00:02:13.389 --> 00:02:16.689 say, a new client telling app for eight months. 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:19.479 They know every feature. They live and breathe 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:21.659 this stuff. They've lived it. Then on a Tuesday 00:02:21.659 --> 00:02:23.780 morning, they just push it to the stores. And 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:26.520 to the store associate, who's already juggling 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.919 three customers and a shipment in the back, it 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:31.879 is just another icon on an iPad that they do 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:33.780 not have time to look at. It's worse than that. 00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:35.840 It's an interruption. The source argues that 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:38.740 when execution lags, corporate leadership often 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:41.800 defaults to one assumption. Competence. Competence, 00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:44.060 yeah. They assume the store teams just don't 00:02:44.060 --> 00:02:45.819 get it. Oh, you hear that all the time. Yeah. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:48.039 We need to train them harder. Right. Or they 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:50.819 just aren't tech savvy enough. Exactly. But this 00:02:50.819 --> 00:02:53.039 piece just flips that on its head. It argues 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.780 it's rarely a competence issue. I mean, these 00:02:55.780 --> 00:02:58.639 are smart people running complex operations. 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.439 It's an engagement issue. Yeah. And here's the 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.039 key insight. I think if you take nothing else 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:07.050 away from this, this is it. Innovation at its 00:03:07.050 --> 00:03:10.030 core is a people game. Technology is just the 00:03:10.030 --> 00:03:12.770 vehicle. That is such a critical distinction. 00:03:13.629 --> 00:03:16.569 Technology is just the vehicle. We so often treat 00:03:16.569 --> 00:03:18.849 the vehicle like it's the destination. You know, 00:03:19.009 --> 00:03:22.009 we polish the car, we tune the engine, but we 00:03:22.009 --> 00:03:23.650 forget to tell the driver where we're actually 00:03:23.650 --> 00:03:25.629 going. Or why we're driving there in the first 00:03:25.629 --> 00:03:28.370 place. If an associate doesn't understand how 00:03:28.370 --> 00:03:31.550 this new tool helps them, how it helps them make 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:34.509 more commission or get home on time or just removes 00:03:34.509 --> 00:03:37.909 a headache, Then it's just noise. Just another 00:03:37.909 --> 00:03:40.370 thing corporate wants them to do. Right. So let's 00:03:40.370 --> 00:03:42.669 get practical because we can talk about engagement 00:03:42.669 --> 00:03:45.629 all day, but we need tactics. The source offers 00:03:45.629 --> 00:03:48.530 a framework. And step one seems surprisingly 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:51.650 low tech. It is. Step one is start with what's 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:55.159 real. It means before you deploy the AI, before 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:58.020 you roll out the new complex selling ceremony, 00:03:58.539 --> 00:04:00.819 you have to audit the reality of the store environment. 00:04:00.979 --> 00:04:03.479 And you do that by asking a very specific kind 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:05.080 of question. OK, what's the question? You go 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:07.240 to the front line and you ask them, what slows 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:10.979 you down? Or maybe, what is the one thing preventing 00:04:10.979 --> 00:04:12.819 you from delivering the service we're asking 00:04:12.819 --> 00:04:16.579 for? That sounds risky. For a corporate leader, 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:19.019 You might not like the answer you get. You almost 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:21.120 certainly will not like the answer. They might 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.279 say, well, the POS system takes 45 seconds to 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:25.680 reboot and I lose a sale or I have to log into 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:27.699 six different portals just to check inventory. 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:29.879 Makes you don't want to hear. Exactly. But the 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:32.680 source argues this discomfort is absolutely necessary. 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:36.680 Why? It's vital because when you use those answers 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:38.939 to shape your rollout, you completely change 00:04:38.939 --> 00:04:41.160 the psychological contract. The conversation 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:43.639 is no longer headquarters bought this cool thing. 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:46.420 Now use it. It becomes. It becomes. You told 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:48.199 us you were frustrated by the slow checkout, 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:50.959 so we brought you this tool to solve that exact 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:53.100 problem. So it changes the whole narrative from 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:56.959 a mandate to a solution. That is a huge shift. 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:00.500 It makes the associate feel seen. And in retail, 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:02.699 where turnover is always a threat and burnout 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:06.259 is real, feeling seen is a retention strategy. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.139 It just drops the resistance barrier because 00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:12.079 they're now co -owners of the solution. OK, so 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:14.899 we've established the why with the team. We've 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:17.500 built some trust. Now we have to actually deploy 00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:20.720 the thing. This brings us to a concept the source 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.300 calls digestible moments. This feels like a direct 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:26.959 shot at how most companies do launches in February. 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:30.620 Oh, the dreaded Big Bang. The Big Bang. Describe 00:05:30.620 --> 00:05:33.100 that for us for anyone lucky enough to have not 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:35.279 lived through one. You know it. It's February 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.149 1st. The store manager opens their email and 00:05:38.149 --> 00:05:42.250 there's a 40 page PDF. Links to three hour long 00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:44.250 webinars they have to watch before the store 00:05:44.250 --> 00:05:47.230 opens. There's a new dress code, a new return 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:49.829 policy. Oh, my blood pressure is rising just 00:05:49.829 --> 00:05:51.509 hearing this. And oh, by the way, here's the 00:05:51.509 --> 00:05:53.350 entirely new software for the registers that 00:05:53.350 --> 00:05:56.089 changes everything. Good luck. It's just cognitive 00:05:56.089 --> 00:05:58.110 overload. It's crushing. It paralyzes the whole 00:05:58.110 --> 00:06:00.490 operation. So the source advocates for the complete 00:06:00.490 --> 00:06:03.110 opposite. break the innovation down into these 00:06:03.110 --> 00:06:05.449 bite -sized testable components. So instead, 00:06:05.470 --> 00:06:07.870 the whole meal, you're serving tapas. Chuckles. 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:12.529 Exactly. Tapas -style innovation. You introduce 00:06:12.529 --> 00:06:16.129 one key behavior or one key feature. You let 00:06:16.129 --> 00:06:19.509 the field digest it. You gather feedback. And 00:06:19.509 --> 00:06:21.269 then, this is the crucial part that Big Bang 00:06:21.269 --> 00:06:23.949 misses, you iterate. Right, because if you drop 00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:26.410 the whole system at once and there's a bug... 00:06:26.410 --> 00:06:28.889 or a workflow that's clunky, you've just broken 00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:31.089 the entire store. And you've lost our credibility. 00:06:31.490 --> 00:06:33.949 But if you do it in these digestible moments, 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:36.250 and the field says, hey, this button is in a 00:06:36.250 --> 00:06:38.990 weird spot, and you fix it, you have just earned 00:06:38.990 --> 00:06:42.810 massive trust points. They see their input changing 00:06:42.810 --> 00:06:45.430 things. It creates a feedback loop. Feedback, 00:06:45.750 --> 00:06:48.819 improvement, rollout. Repeat. It's agile methodology, 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:50.959 which software engineers have used for 20 years, 00:06:50.980 --> 00:06:53.519 but it's finally being applied to retail operations. 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:55.480 It respects that the store environment is dynamic. 00:06:55.540 --> 00:06:57.139 But here's the challenge. I want to push back 00:06:57.139 --> 00:06:58.959 a little. We're talking about scale. If I'm a 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:01.439 boutique with five stores, sure, I can iterate. 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:03.839 I can chat with my managers. But what if I'm 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.680 a global retailer with 2 ,000 locations? How 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:09.420 do I manage digestible moments without creating 00:07:09.420 --> 00:07:12.259 total administrative chaos? That is the million 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:14.519 dollar question. And ironically, this is where 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:16.939 technology does come back in. But the source 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:19.519 frames it so well, it says the tool should scale 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:23.040 human connection, not replace it. Scale human 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.860 connection? Okay, unpack that for me. Well, historically, 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:28.920 how did we scale communication? The cascade message, 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:32.139 right? CEO tells the VP, VP tells the regional, 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.899 and so on. And by the time the message gets to 00:07:34.899 --> 00:07:37.620 the part -time associate, it's completely garbled. 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:40.209 It's the game of telephone. The passion is gone, 00:07:40.410 --> 00:07:43.269 the nuance is gone. So the source argues for 00:07:43.269 --> 00:07:46.170 using a unified platform, a single digital space 00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:48.930 that connects HQ directly to the front line, 00:07:48.949 --> 00:07:51.329 but in a human way. Getting rid of that fragmented 00:07:51.329 --> 00:07:53.689 system. Right. Start making them go to app A 00:07:53.689 --> 00:07:56.009 for scheduling, app B for learning, and the intranet 00:07:56.009 --> 00:07:59.649 for news. It needs to be one ecosystem. Multimedia 00:07:59.649 --> 00:08:02.310 Plus, who wrote the source, they talk about this 00:08:02.310 --> 00:08:05.029 as a centralized hub. Which just reduces all 00:08:05.029 --> 00:08:06.990 that friction we talked about earlier. Drastically. 00:08:07.490 --> 00:08:09.259 But it also allows allows for what they call 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:11.939 redefining training. And this is the part that 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:13.939 I think will really resonate with anyone who 00:08:13.939 --> 00:08:16.319 has ever fallen asleep during a compliance video. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:18.740 Which is pretty much everyone listening. Right. 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:21.839 The source frames this as a battle between culture 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:25.139 and checklists. Culture versus checklist. That 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:27.139 sounds like a battle for the soul of the store. 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:29.860 It is. The old way is the checklist. Did you 00:08:29.860 --> 00:08:32.899 read the PDF sign here? It's defensive. It's 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:35.480 about covering the company's back. It's compliance? 00:08:35.820 --> 00:08:38.500 Not learning? You aren't actually checking if 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:41.460 they understood it. Not at all. You can't mandate 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:44.419 behavioral change with a signature. So the new 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:48.019 way, the post -NRF way, is about embedding learning 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:50.100 into the flow of work. So what does that look 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:52.259 like in a busy store? It looks like the content 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:55.379 we consume in our real lives. Short form video. 00:08:55.620 --> 00:08:58.240 30 seconds. Very visual. Here's how you handle 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.120 this new return. Here's how you style this new 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:02.179 jacket. It's like TikTok for the enterprise. 00:09:02.460 --> 00:09:05.950 The format, yes. quick, engaging, mobile first. 00:09:06.370 --> 00:09:08.570 But the intent is about creating these coaching 00:09:08.570 --> 00:09:11.309 moments. The source talks about using these platforms 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:14.649 to celebrate progress in real time. So if a district 00:09:14.649 --> 00:09:17.610 is crushing a new initiative, the VP can shoot 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:20.169 a quick 20 -second video on their phone and blast 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:23.049 it out to everyone. Ah, that's the scaling human 00:09:23.049 --> 00:09:25.870 connection part again. The VP doesn't have to 00:09:25.870 --> 00:09:28.690 fly to 500 stores to give a high five. Precisely. 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:31.330 It feels personal, but it's distributed digitally. 00:09:31.669 --> 00:09:35.490 It turns training from a chore into just part 00:09:35.490 --> 00:09:38.429 of the daily culture. I want to pivot here because 00:09:38.429 --> 00:09:41.590 there's a trap that the source warns about. We've 00:09:41.590 --> 00:09:44.070 got these cool tools, these digestible moments, 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:46.710 but there's a temptation, especially right after 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:50.610 NRF, to want to do everything. Ah, yes. Shiny 00:09:50.610 --> 00:09:52.809 object syndrome. And the source is very firm 00:09:52.809 --> 00:09:56.629 on this. It says field teams crave clarity and 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:58.669 nothing kills clarity like a leadership team 00:09:58.669 --> 00:10:01.139 that changes its mind every week. Consistency 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:04.000 is the ultimate currency in retail ops. If you 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:06.500 change the priority every Monday, the store teams 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:09.159 learn a very dangerous lesson. To just wait. 00:10:09.320 --> 00:10:11.059 Wait it out. Yeah. Don't bother learning this 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:12.820 because by next week they'll have moved on to 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:14.860 something else. That's a culture killer. So how 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:18.440 do you avoid that? The advice here is brutal 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:21.179 prioritization. Identify the two or three things. 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.539 That's it, not 10. Two or three things you want 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:25.639 every single associate to know, believe, and 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:28.100 act on this quarter. That is so hard for executives, 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:30.299 though. They have 10 departments all clamoring 00:10:30.299 --> 00:10:32.740 for attention. It is painful. But if you push 00:10:32.740 --> 00:10:35.700 10 things, you get zero. If you push three and 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:37.899 you say them over and over again from the CEO 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:40.500 down to the shift supervisor, you actually get 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:43.490 execution. And the source mentions you have to 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:45.830 say them more than once. Repetition is the mother 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:49.029 of learning. And consistency is the mother of 00:10:49.029 --> 00:10:51.570 trust. If I know what the priorities are and 00:10:51.570 --> 00:10:54.389 they stay the priorities for 90 days, I can actually 00:10:54.389 --> 00:10:56.570 build my work habits around them. Okay, there's 00:10:56.570 --> 00:10:59.269 one last piece to this puzzle. It's about the 00:10:59.269 --> 00:11:01.950 mechanics of building this tech. I think there's 00:11:01.950 --> 00:11:03.750 a lot of pressure on retailers to feel like they 00:11:03.750 --> 00:11:06.110 have to be technology companies now. The not 00:11:06.110 --> 00:11:08.750 invented here syndrome. Right. But the source 00:11:08.750 --> 00:11:10.509 takes a strong stance on this. Don't reinvent 00:11:10.509 --> 00:11:13.360 the wheel. They argue that the retail tech space 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:16.000 is mature now. This isn't 2010. You don't need 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:18.879 to hire 50 developers to build a training app. 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:20.759 There are partners who have been doing this for 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:25.100 a very long time. And the source mentions Multimedia 00:11:25.100 --> 00:11:27.279 Plus specifically here, which, you know, makes 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.000 sense. They wrote it. But the context is what 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.000 caught my eye. They've been doing this for three 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:34.659 decades. Hitchin Tech years is basically a millennium. 00:11:34.779 --> 00:11:37.700 Truly. But they're not selling CD -ROMs anymore. 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:41.110 They're integrating AI. And there's a specific 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:43.409 example they use, something called Chloe. Yes, 00:11:43.649 --> 00:11:46.769 the AI -powered persona. Walk us through that, 00:11:47.129 --> 00:11:49.370 because AI is a buzzword we hear all the time. 00:11:50.090 --> 00:11:52.190 How is something like Chloe actually practical 00:11:52.190 --> 00:11:54.799 for someone listening right now? So think about 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:56.779 the bottleneck we just discussed. Yeah. Creating 00:11:56.779 --> 00:11:59.080 those digestible moments. Who actually makes 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:01.460 all those short, fresh videos? An instructional 00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:03.980 designer who takes like three weeks to write 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:06.480 a script, get it approved, hire a voice actor. 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:08.960 Exactly. It's too slow for retail. By the time 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.379 the video's done, the promotion is over. So Chloe 00:12:11.379 --> 00:12:14.179 represents this new wave of partner -driven AI. 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:17.179 It lets a retailer input the raw info, the what, 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:20.399 and the AI generates the script, the voiceover, 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:23.220 even the on -screen avatar in multiple languages. 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:25.679 almost instantly. So it solves the speed problem. 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:28.740 It solves the speed and the scale problem. If 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:31.240 you need to train teams in Tokyo, London, and 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:33.399 New York on the same day in their own languages, 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:35.960 you can't do that manually anymore. You need 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:38.320 a partner tool. It goes back to that core theme. 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:41.840 Let the retailer focus on retail strategy and 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:44.039 let the partner handle the delivery mechanism. 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:47.299 Correct. Don't spend your capital building a 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:49.860 video player. Spend it on your product and your 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:52.230 people. So bringing this all together, here we 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:55.470 are, February 2026. The fiscal year is ticking. 00:12:55.830 --> 00:12:58.250 We have the inspiration from NRF. We know the 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:00.570 pitfalls of the Big Bang. We know we need to 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:02.850 engage the human element first. The where to 00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:05.610 go from here moment. The source really emphasizes 00:13:05.610 --> 00:13:08.350 that this is the pivotal time to shift from being 00:13:08.350 --> 00:13:11.210 flashy to being intentional. It boils down to 00:13:11.210 --> 00:13:13.970 those three pillars we've been circling. Clarity, 00:13:13.970 --> 00:13:16.250 knowing those two or three non -negotiables. 00:13:16.509 --> 00:13:18.870 Consistency, sticking to them. And the front 00:13:18.870 --> 00:13:20.549 line, making sure they're co -authors of the 00:13:20.549 --> 00:13:23.149 solution, not victims of it. It's shifting the 00:13:23.149 --> 00:13:26.250 mindset from command and control to empower and 00:13:26.250 --> 00:13:29.129 enable. And realizing that the most expensive 00:13:29.129 --> 00:13:32.769 AI -driven tech in the world is worthless if 00:13:32.769 --> 00:13:35.509 the person at the register hates using it. Amen 00:13:35.509 --> 00:13:38.899 to that. Start small. Prove it works. Scale it 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:41.360 up. It takes the pressure off, revolutionizing 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:43.960 retail by Tuesday. And replaces it with making 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:46.559 the store better by Wednesday. A much more achievable 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:49.460 goal. Now, before we let everyone get back to 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:51.519 their rollout plans, you always have a final 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:54.250 challenge for us. What's the thought for this 00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:56.549 deep dive? Well, I want to circle back to that 00:13:56.549 --> 00:13:59.350 very first step we discussed. Start with what's 00:13:59.350 --> 00:14:01.490 real. We talked about asking what slows them 00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:05.350 down, but I want to pose a specific and somewhat 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:07.809 dangerous challenge to the executives listening. 00:14:07.950 --> 00:14:10.629 I'm intrigued. Let's hear it. Go to your top 00:14:10.629 --> 00:14:12.889 performing store manager, not the one who tells 00:14:12.889 --> 00:14:14.450 you what you want to hear, but the one who actually 00:14:14.450 --> 00:14:17.409 runs a tight ship, and ask them this one question. 00:14:17.850 --> 00:14:20.690 What is the one thing headquarters ask you to 00:14:20.690 --> 00:14:23.809 do that actually prevents you from selling? Ooh 00:14:23.809 --> 00:14:26.649 That is a loaded question. It is because they 00:14:26.649 --> 00:14:28.929 will have an answer immediately. Maybe it's a 00:14:28.929 --> 00:14:30.990 report Nobody reads maybe it's a compliance check 00:14:30.990 --> 00:14:33.610 that takes an hour or a mandatory meeting that 00:14:33.610 --> 00:14:36.289 kills floor coverage during peak hours Exactly, 00:14:36.889 --> 00:14:39.389 but here's the real challenge. Are you prepared 00:14:39.389 --> 00:14:42.509 to hear the answer and more importantly? Are 00:14:42.509 --> 00:14:45.370 you prepared to actually stop doing it? That's 00:14:45.370 --> 00:14:48.909 the hard part Adding innovation is easy. Subtracting 00:14:48.909 --> 00:14:52.350 the old stuff. That takes courage. But that's 00:14:52.350 --> 00:14:54.750 where real innovation starts. Not in addition, 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:57.870 but in subtraction. Clearing the path so people 00:14:57.870 --> 00:15:00.370 can do the job you hired them to do. Are you 00:15:00.370 --> 00:15:04.090 prepared to stop doing it? That is going to linger 00:15:04.090 --> 00:15:06.889 with me. I suspect there are some weekly reports 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:08.850 out there that should be very nervous right now. 00:15:08.889 --> 00:15:11.230 I think so, too. Well, on that note, we are going 00:15:11.230 --> 00:15:13.490 to wrap this up. Good luck with the new fiscal 00:15:13.490 --> 00:15:16.090 year, everyone. Take those NRF ideas, make them 00:15:16.090 --> 00:15:18.289 real, make them human, and focus on those two 00:15:18.289 --> 00:15:20.070 or three things that really matter. We'll catch 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:21.590 you on the next Deep Dive. Take care.