Leadership differs from management. In the specialty running world, leadership is a strategic role generally reserved for owners, while the tactical daily ops are generally delegated to managers responsible for what’s happening in the store at any given minute.

And though these managers are primarily tasked with the specific needs of the day, the best of them tend to think strategically about their roles, too. They think like leaders. A manager’s focus may be less geared toward the big picture plan and instead viewed more through a short-term lens. But that doesn’t mean what they do is less important. Equal attention to both, or close to it, is likely what’s gotten you this far, after all.

On any given day, your store manager likely ponders all or some of the following questions: Is the printer out of ink? Are there still piles of dust bunnies in the corners of the dressing room? Do the wipe-down rags at the foot scanner look gross? Did that disgruntled customer from the weekend get the call back that was promised? Does the POS need a software update? Are all the shoes on the wall? And in the right place?

All in a day’s work

From one hour to the next, the manager probably notices gaps on the essentials racks. Missing sock sizes, insole options, recovery sandals, sunglasses. They notice if there’s a scarcity of women’s size 8s in the back room. Or if the fridge has turned into a petri dish. They, perhaps, stress out about next week’s schedule since all those college students are headed back to school. They may also freak out when they get the call saying tonight’s closer is out with the flu.

Answering such questions, and so much more, is all in a day’s work for a typical store manager. And more than likely they’re adept at dealing with anything that arises. This, of course, is part of why you promoted them to manager in the first place. They are good at handling such tasks. Perhaps better than you.

But if your store is similar to the majority of stores I’ve visited through the years, your managers, though highly skilled at being reactive, are not very proactive. Which is to say, they are tactical, but not very strategic. Herein lies the opportunity for them, you and your business. Imagine if your manager’s approach landed them ahead of the store’s most common issues, rather than constantly chasing them. Imagine if they were driving the train, not holding on for dear life.

Rather than tactically put out fires all day, you and your manager should design a strategic landscape that anticipates the chaos in the first place. You should implement various preemptive systems that, for example, ensure you’re never out of printer ink, never embarrassed by an unswept floor, always restocked and never, ever, out of women’s core footwear sizes. You should reimagine with them how to look at the schedule. How to plan, well in advance, for those seasonal departures. You should discuss the value of having a bench of folks at the ready when call-outs threaten your sanity.

And really, this is less about you writing new policies and more about challenging your manager to think bigger about their day-to-day. It’s about empowering them to honestly witness, and critique, their daily efforts. Then consider fresh and more effective ways to approach their multi-faceted role.

Start simple. Ask, “How can you make sure you’re never out of printer ink?” Let them identify the solution so that they are more likely to implement it. And once they’ve upgraded some small stuff, challenge them further. “How can you be sure you’re roster is never one call-out away from a disaster?” Nudge them to discover the answer to the things that are keeping them stuck in tactical mode.

An empowered manager is a strategic manager. It may take some time to get them there, but in the end it will be well worth the effort.