The best leaders motivate their teams and inspire them to become better leaders themselves. At Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC), we regularly ask our members for tips on how to best keep their teams going, especially during tough times. Here are a few of their answers:

1. Layla Kasha, Chief Marketing and New Store Growth Officer, Grocery Outlet

“Being my genuine self allows my team to bring their whole selves to work every day. Every person on my team brings something different to the table. Leaning in to each other’s strengths and weaknesses allows us all to win and celebrate together or learn and laugh from our mistakes.”

2. Nadina Guglielmetti, Vice President and General Manager of Marketing, The Vitamin Shoppe

“Having a clear vision and enthusiasm for the work we do every day. Leaders set the tone and energy of the team. A team also motivates itself — I encourage my team to take their vacations and recharge.”

3. Erin Talbot, Vice President, Human Resources, Diamonds Direct

“Whenever a new team member comes on board I like to observe for a while. I figure out what they’re good at and look for ways to harness their strengths. I think too many leaders focus on what people don’t do well or need to improve on instead of leveraging their strengths. When you see someone is good at something and you give them the tools and space to excel in that area, you create a fire in them that opens the door to growing additional skills within them.”

4. Brooke Taibleson-Hoch, General Manager and District Recruit, Signet Jewelers 

“I am not afraid to get in there and do the dirty work alongside my team and my peers. I offer positive support in a very engaging way to try to encourage my team outside of their comfort zone. I want them to be able to achieve tasks they thought were completely impossible, and try to help them have a little bit of fun along the way. My team is famous for saying, “Just trust your crazy ideas; they’re going to work!'”

5. Sabrina Cherubini, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital, Hanky Panky

“I’m lucky. I joined Hanky Panky a year and a half ago. It’s a really purpose-driven brand. Fully sustainable, made in the U..S., women-led and women-founded. All these things that are giving meaning to the team. I remember we were all talking about the great recession and the turnover in these companies — I didn’t experience that because I think what motivates and gets the team excited is sharing the same vision. Having the same purpose. making an impact together. That is something that is key to recruiting people.”

6. Melanie O’Neil, Founder and President, Rustic Marlin 

“I feel like in today’s society, we are all working at such a fast pace and our workloads are so much that there is a balance between motivating people and inspiring them but also having to hold them accountable, making sure they are achieving their tasks. I find that the best way I can support them is to let them know that I’m in it with them, and I’m right next to them. But sometimes that means they need a little bit of space, or sometimes we work together, and I can feel every member — from sales and marketing to the woodshop — coming together and the energy and the excitement that I feel knowing that the entire team is behind me, and I make sure to really express that to them so they can feel that same energy, and how important every single piece of the puzzle is. Without each other, we wouldn’t be so strong.”

If you would like to become a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member or need additional information regarding our community, click here.