Chapter 5: Team Skills

Working Together; A Requirement, Not an Option

As merchandisers, you will work in a variety of projects and locations. Some projects will require you to work by yourself. Many jobs will require two or more merchandisers to work together to successfully complete the reset or project. You are then part of a "merchandising team."

Team: A certain number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves accountable.

To accomplish the goal of the project and to satisfy the client, all members of the team must work together, both with individual effort and with teamwork. Being part of a team that has completed a project successfully — or not so successfully — you will learn about yourself. You will learn what strengths you have that you weren’t aware of (leadership style and abilities) and you will learn about what it takes to work with others as well.

If you are new to merchandising, working in a team will enable you to become better trained in group decision making, have a better understanding of your company and its work practices and will give you the necessary merchandising skills your company expects of you.

What makes a team "successful"?
Successful teams have clear objectives, a defined timeframe and are held accountable for results. As merchandisers, you will be given the parameters of each project, what the final product of your work should be, how long you have to accomplish the work and what will happen if you do not complete the work on time and to the client's expectation.

Not all team members are alike. Some have great ideas, others are good with implementation and details and some will be new to the merchandising profession and will need extra help. Before starting any project, it is important to understand what strengths each member has and who will accomplish what.

There are three issues to consider when starting up in a team:

The first is the "task" — identifying the problems in getting the job done correctly. Merchandisers should evaluate the project and what will need to be done before starting the work.

The second is the "process" — how will the team work to make all the steps to the project happen. Having a team plan on who accomplishes the different aspects of each project and how they will accomplish their role will be critical to a successful project.

Last, but not least, someone needs to be the "team leader" — the role of team leader requires some specific skills; ability to influence and lead the team without direct authority; negotiation skills, task orientation, flexibility and the ability to step in and perform any of the tasks necessary when required. Team leaders help establish ground rules for the project, motivate merchandisers when necessary, secure resources for the team when needed and share responsibility with the team members for the final result.

As a merchandiser, you are expected to:

• Maintain good relationships with your team members
• Offer support and guidance when needed (remember that some team members might not have the same level of skills as you)
• Help determine who does what and when
• Communicate any issues or concerns to the appropriate people
• Play a part in developing a productive and cohesive team

Most importantly, make sure you celebrate your team’s accomplishment and congratulate yourself on a job well done!

By working together well, you have helped make the client happy and hopefully, ensured additional work for not only yourself but also for your merchandising company!

When you have completed this chapter, click here to begin Chapter 6; Merchandising 101.