Peter Smith: 9 Store Manager Archetypes

I’m often asked by retailers if I know of a store manager who might be a good fit for their business. 

Despite not being in the “recruiting game,” it’s not a stretch for them to imagine I might have a few contacts given my decades in the business.

If I were to cast my memory back far enough, I’ve likely been responsible, directly or indirectly, for a great many new marriages in the jewelry space. And, by default, a few divorces too, since most recommended managers likely were gainfully employed by other jewelers at the time they changed companies.  

The question of whether I can help find a manager, nonetheless, intrigues me every time. 

On the surface, it seems straightforward—“They’ve got a jewelry store that needs a manager!” 

Alas, it’s never quite that simple. 

A prospective store manager can look very different to two different businesses, and that’s not always for the reasons we might think. 

Of course, a million-dollar store will look very different than a $30 million store. 

The volume of the latter, with its higher-profile and branded environment, may require more formality from its personnel, and, perhaps, more relevant experience in branded spaces. 

A higher-volume store with more people might also require a history of managing larger teams, not to mention the added complexity of handling multiple personalities (sometimes in the same person … don’t get me started!).  

When it comes to managing people, smaller-volume stores can have their own unique challenges. 

While managing three employees versus managing 12 or more is an entirely different undertaking, the smaller environment can often require more of a jack-of-all-trades manager with a comfort level in tighter quarters and potentially more personal relationships. 

Smaller-volume stores also rarely enjoy the luxury of employing a non-selling manager, given the all-hands-on-deck nature of those businesses. Larger-volume stores can often deploy more specialized personnel to cover the various parts of the business. 

The definitions of what a store manager might look like for a business have more variations than there are days in the week, and while there’s always danger in being reductive with descriptions, I have noticed a few consistent archetypes during my career. 

These classifications are not mutually exclusive. Some stores may have, or need, a manager with a combination of these definitions. 

Some, as you will see, are profiles you should work hard not to hire, but knowing they exist (and working to avoid them) may save you a lot of grief down the road.  

Once you’ve identified what is most important to your business, build a profile and a thorough prospecting, interviewing, and onboarding process to help identify and hire that profile. 

Note: This list is gender agnostic. I’m using “he” and “guy” as placeholders for consistency.

Safe Hands Guy
This is the guy who looks the part. He will align nicely with your cultural norms (never underestimate the power of culture fit) and will keep things ticking over without really effecting change.

He is easier to manage than others, but he can frustrate you because innovation, creativity, and risk-taking are not traits that come easily to him.

He can work well in a business that is resistant to change and, yes, there are lots of those businesses, even if many of them don’t know it. 

The Difference Maker
This guy wakes up ready to execute new and exciting, albeit sometimes scary, initiatives.

He is an “ideas” dude, excited to learn and resistant to inertia and status quo.

If your business has been stuck in the mud for years and needs a good shake-up, he’s your Huckleberry.

He may not cross every “t” or dot every “i,” but he’ll make things happen.

Sales Guy Masking as a Manager
He is a salesperson with a set of keys and the responsibility for hiring, firing, and making schedules.

He became a manager because of the ego drive that made him successful in sales, and the manager role is the end game, with a title and extra money. The job of actually managing is less interesting to him.

Operations Guy Masking as a Sales Guy
This guy wants to spend as much time in his office and behind the scenes as he can.

He loves busy work, paperwork, and problem-solving.

He is neither a great salesperson (what, me? Sales?) nor a good manager (this business would be great if it wasn’t for all these employees!).

He is reliable and decent, but he would prefer not to get his hands dirty on “sales-y” stuff and he is not inspiring anyone to drive business or better themselves.

Everybody’s Friend
This guy just loves everybody. He’s got the Duchenne smile down pat, shakes hands and kisses babies for sport, and knows all the lingo.

He won’t hire anyone with an ounce of baggage, visible tattoos, or a modicum of drive. And he won’t fire anyone for anything.

Most importantly, he should never be trusted to select the Spotify playlist unless you want to listen to showtunes all day.

The Taskmaster
This guy was raised eating glass and spends his day thinking about ways to piss people off.

He craves power and is capable of full-on dictator mode, believing that everyone’s out to cheat him.

His mantra is to inflict mental calluses on everyone to toughen them up. He is the answer to degenerate salespeople everywhere and, in his world, all salespeople are degenerates.

Don’t Rock the Boat Guy
This guy goes through his day trying not to be noticed. He specializes in pained expressions, especially when anyone asks him to step outside his comfort zone.

His idea of innovation is changing his lunch routine occasionally. He’ll never get into trouble and his closest allies are inertia and stasis.

Everything Before Me Was Stupid Guy
This guy is determined to save the world, one decision at a time.

He wonders how the team got dressed in the morning prior to his arrival, and he is a master practitioner of both eye rolling and deep exhales.

He courageously bears the weight of his savior complex and wishes people in his orbit would recognize the considerable burden he carries daily in service to humanity. I mean, the store.   

I Know Everything About Jewelry and Nothing About People Guy
He has his industry credentials on the wall and on his business cards. He can “refractive index” you to death even if you just came in to pick up a repair and he might even speak complicated timepieces even though you don’t sell watches. 

Product nuance to him is like a seance to a psychic. But people? Well, they’re a complication too far. 

Despite the brevity and wit in the above examples, we should not lose sight of the fact that each of the cases are archetypes of managers I’ve encountered for decades. 

You might add others, but these ones exist, and they impact their respective stores in profound ways, some for the good and others, unfortunately, for the not-so-good. 

Before you decide to hire a store manager, give serious consideration to what your business needs most at this moment and in the near future. 

Once you’ve made that decision, hire for that. 

Happy retailing.