We’re used to ordering burgers and fries at an electronic kiosk, but ordering a TV at one is slightly different. Best Buy has opened a “digital-first shopping experience” in Monroe, North Carolina, with only 5,000 square feet as opposed to the normal 35,000 to 40,000.

A “7-foot-tall digital display” welcomes customers, who’ll scan a QR code or use the Best Buy app to make purchases. If you have questions, feel free to “shop live with an expert from our virtual store via call, chat or video chat.”

It’s an interesting harbinger of retail automation, but Best Buy is holding its own against Amazon (unlike Circuit City, CompUSA and Fry’s Electronics, RIP), so enjoy the new TV. Would you like to supersize that?

Micromanagers get micro-results: Control your inner control freak.

Do Hard Things: Steve Magness weighs in on how to build a “tough” team.

Birdy Grey: This company upcycles bridesmaid dresses for a good cause.

(Source: Shutterstock)

A weak leader doesn’t pay enough attention to their business. Mistakes and deadlines slip by while employees put in the absolute minimum. Such careless management can destroy a company.

There’s equal danger on the opposite end of the spectrum, however. More than 7 in 10 workers say that micromanagement hurts their job performance. On top of that, employees who lack control over their work have a 15% higher fatality rate, which isn’t exactly going to help your retention rate.

With remote work becoming the norm during the pandemic, some managers overcorrected from their perceived loss of control in the physical office. But wherever your employees are based, good leadership is about recruiting the right people and empowering them to perform at their best, not making them choke under pressure.

So, how can you find that delicate balance? We asked business guru and bestselling author Steve Magness for a few tips.

85%

Employees who believe they could perform their job without a manager

[Source: GoodHire]

Whether on the football field or in the corporate office, there’s a common notion that pushing people to their absolute limit will produce the best results. This can be true in short bursts — Google just announced a “simplicity sprint” — but it’s not a sustainable strategy for long-term problems.

Steve Magness, human performance coach and author of Do Hard Things, believes that this old model of “toughness” is broken. Using science and data, Magness shows how business leaders can sustain commitment for the long haul. He spoke with b. about how to build a resilient team.

Giving Employees the Space to Thrive

Employees “work harder, persist more, and are more motivated,” Magness says, when given “the runway to explore their talents.”

He cites psychological research on the folly of constraining employees. Sometimes it’s best to let them do their own thing.

“You want to give people the wiggle room so that they feel like they have a voice and can make some choices,” Magness said. “When people don’t feel like they have a voice, they get apathetic and resentful.”

Let Them Mirror Your Own Focus

The most famous writing advice is “Show, don’t tell,” and that’s true for motivation as well. Magness recommends focusing on your own, well, focus.

“Your brain is always looking for something better to do,” Magness says. “Our brain is a muscle, so that ability to stay focused — and even direct your attention instead of having it be stolen — is a skill that we can develop.”

Setting an effective routine can help. So can breaking an ineffective routine.

“I’m a big believer in having small moments throughout your day where you force yourself to pay attention,” Magness says. “That could be taking a short walk without your phone or a mindfulness practice where you’re just focused on the task at hand.”

Do Hard Things by Steve Magness is available now.

• Going for a jog: “Exercise in the morning is great because you get this little surge of adrenaline. If you get outside, your brain gets to see the sun — and there’s all sorts of data that shows that wakes us up.”
  
  
• Setting a goalpost: “I quickly go in my notebook and just knock out, ‘What are the important things today? What do I want to get done?’ That puts me in the right frame of mind.”
  
  
• Perfecting a routine: “I try hard to create the environment that allows me to do the work. For instance, when I’m writing a book, I try to write either at the same coffee shop at about the same time or in a corner of my house at a desk. If I’m doing a podcast, I’m trying to get myself excited. It’s like priming your mind …”

Proms are a high school rite of passage. However, for many teenagers from families with low incomes, it’s a rite in which they can’t easily participate. Families struggling to pay for rent and food don’t have the money for a fancy prom dress and its accouterments.

Here’s where female-founded bridalwear company Birdy Grey comes to the rescue, acting as a fairy godmother to would-be Cinderellas. Birdy Grey donates gently worn bridesmaid dresses to The Princess Project, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free prom dresses and accessories to high school students who could otherwise not afford them. To date, The Princess Project has provided more than 20,000 young women with prom dresses while promoting self-confidence, beauty, and fashion sustainability.

Birdy Grey’s founders know that most of these dresses wouldn’t otherwise be worn outside of a wedding. By partnering with The Princess Project, however, they are making prom dreams come true.

(Source: Twitter)

“I like to challenge the conventional wisdom. So if the conventional wisdom says ‘A, B, and C,’ that could be correct — but often what happens is we get stuck with these stories and narratives that just don’t go away.”

— Steve Magness

Written by Antonio Ferme and Jane Meggitt.

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