IndependentsAug 14, 2026
Smyth Jewelers to Open Fourth LocationThe family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.
OtherMay 17, 2015
Invest in your best people
Columnist Peter Smith writes that jewelers should spend time and energy on their top performers and not neglect them in favor of helping weaker players improve.
Peter Smith, author of “Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent,” has spent 30 years building retail sales teams and has worked in wholesale as well. He can be reached at Dublinsmith@yahoo.com
I had dinner with a former colleague of mine recently and, as I drove home, I was thinking about how much time she and I had spent working on projects together during the years we breathed the same professional air.
I certainly liked and respected her but, even though she had been to my home a time or two over the years, we did not move in the same social circles. We have kids; she does not. Her golf game is really important to her; staying away from the golf course helps to preserve my sanity. Seriously, you should see my game.
Like me, her husband is very much into music, though I expect his Sinatra collection is probably a good deal lighter than my library of songs by Ol’ Blue Eyes. Like my wife, her husband also is in the business but, again, not in such a way as we would all interact with any degree of regularity.
So why did I engage in so many interesting and important projects with this woman? Why did I invest my time in her much more so than with our other colleagues? Quite simply, it was because she was the best. She had a demonstrated track record of superlative performance through the years and that pedigree greatly increased the likelihood of a success on any project with which she was likely to be involved.
Without really knowing why I was doing it, I would regularly invest my time and energy on projects that she deemed worthy of my attention. If she came to me and suggested that we had a business opportunity with an important client, I was all ears. If she told me that one of our higher-profile retailers was having some challenges then I would ready myself to engage in any way necessary. Those challenges weren’t any easier than the others. In fact, they may have been amongst the most demanding as they usually involved the highest-profile customers and/or the most difficult tasks.
While the upside of our efforts was always an important factor, we were always keenly aware that if our efforts were unsuccessful, the losses could be considerable.
Contrary to conventional thinking, I was spending time with my best people, not my weakest people. Instead of taking her competence for granted and moving on to employees who did not have that level of talent,
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
I preferred to partner with her to tackle projects that gave us the very best opportunity for success.
Investing your time in your top people is counter-intuitive. Most of us are inherently drawn to try to help the weaker players to get better and, while some amount of development time and coaching for your weaker players is imperative, the very best use of your time as a manager is to ensure that you are connected to your best people to help them to do more of what they do well. Your business needs that, your customers need that, and your top people need that attention and recognition even though they are motivated, self-driven and accomplished.
Small percentage gains that come from your top people will very often far exceed big percentage gains from weaker performers. The return on investment from your stars also has a much more sustainable element to it than gains from your weaker people.
Every business has an inherent obligation to provide a route for improvement and growth for all its employees, both strong and weak. It is not only the right thing to you but investment in all your people serves the best interests of your customers and your business. The challenge for the manager of any business is to ensure that the time invested is commensurate with the anticipated return on that investment. No business can afford to have its managers spending 80 percent of their time with the bottom 20 percent of its salespeople.
One of the best business books I have ever read is First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham. In it, the author contends, “Great managers invest in their best because it is extremely productive to do so and actively destructive to do otherwise.” It might be human nature to want to help improve our weaker performers, but we ought not to do so at the expense of those who are driving the bus.
Peter Smith, author of Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent, has spent 30 years building sales teams at retail and working with independent retailers to offer counsel and advice. He also has worked in both retail and wholesale with companies such as Tiffany & Co. and Hearts On Fire. He can be reached at Dublinsmith@yahoo.com and on LinkedIn.
More on Other
The Latest
CrimeAug 14, 2026
Wife of Man Convicted in Jeweler’s Murder Sentenced for Conspiracy Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.
TrendsAug 14, 2026
Paul Morelli’s Latest ‘Wavey Vine’ Earrings Embrace ColorThe reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
Weekly QuizAug 13, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.
Brought to you by
Wedding Band Trends 2026: Personalization Takes Center StageColored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Jewelry Store Employee Gets 20 Years to Life in Choking Death of BossMichel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.
MajorsAug 12, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names New SVP of SalesLongtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.
AuctionsAug 11, 2026
Verdura Unicorn Brooch With Royal Connection Up for Auction The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
MajorsAug 11, 2026
Signet Jewelers Selects Mattel Exec to Lead Zales, BanterJamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.
IndependentsAug 11, 2026
Polly’s Fine Jewelry Co-Owner Richard Moore Dies at 69Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.
ColumnistsAug 11, 2026
Creative Connecting: How to Sell Colored Gemstones to Gen ZDuvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share the best ways to display, present, and explain colored gemstones to younger customers.
Events & AwardsAug 11, 2026
NAJA Announces Lineup For 2026 Fall Virtual ConferenceThe mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.
TechnologyAug 10, 2026
Colorado Jeweler Launches Customization Tool He Built HimselfHonest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
QVC Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Names New Interim CEOQVC Group President and CEO David Rawlinson is temporarily being replaced by a familiar face, former QVC CEO Mike George.
CollectionsAug 10, 2026
State Property Puts a Ripple in the ‘The Voyager’ CollectionThe brand also added two one-of-a-kind brown diamond pieces to the “Sanssouci” series of its “Gardens” collection.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
And IJO’s 2026 Vendor of the Year Is … Ostbye took home top vendor honors at the Independent Jewelers Organization’s show, held last month in Kentucky.
Supplier BulletinAug 07, 2026
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsSponsored by Stratus Estate Buyers
MajorsAug 07, 2026
Retail Veteran Pam Cloud Appointed President of Blue NileCloud, who will officially join Blue Nile on Monday, spent 26 years at Tiffany & Co. and founded jewelry brand Roseate.
