By Beth Maas, human resource manager, for the Resolutions for Independent Pharmacies blog series

For your store to run smoothly, you must make sure your staff members are engaged, work well together, and represent your store according to your guidelines. Whether you’re thinking about hiring or retaining staff, make sure you are doing what you can to nurture the ten characteristics that have nothing to do with talent but more to do with attitude, desire to learn, and outlook. You may have seen the list, “10 Things That Require Zero Talent” on social media or elsewhere, but I’ll be looking at the list through the lens of independent pharmacies in this three-part series. This post will cover three traits: being on time, work ethic, and effort.

Being on time is a basic requirement. When associates aren’t on time, there are consequences. Your staff needs to be there when the store opens so they are available for customers or whenever their shift starts so the coworker they are relieving is able to leave on time. If they aren’t there on time and the coworker they are supposed to relieve has to go, there will be an interruption in service for customers in the store. If one of your associates isn’t on time, speak with them to determine the reason. Are there transportation issues?  Is it a planning problem? Childcare challenges? Get to the bottom of the issue and discuss how it might be solved. Remind them of the big picture and how their tardiness affects their coworkers and the store overall.

Work ethic is another important quality. Most of us learn our work ethic from our parents or other role models in our childhood. The easiest way to coach your staff on work ethic is to lead by example. Show them what it means to be a hard worker and the level of dedication you expect. Consider that whoever influenced their work ethic may have had a different viewpoint than yours. By representing what you feel is a strong work ethic you can more easily coach your team to improve on theirs.

Effort is easy to detect and gauge. You can tell who is interested in doing a good job and doing their best to get tasks done and done well. But does everyone know the expectation? It might be helpful to speak to your staff to be sure they are aware, and clarify if they aren't. Once again, it helps to talk about the bigger picture and how their efforts in turn help coworkers, yourself, store appearance, and ultimately, your customers.

Check back for my next post in this series which will cover body language, energy, attitude, and passion.