06 / RETAIL
EMOTIONAL BUSINESS
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Independent retail consultant, Liam Kelly explores how spreading some love on the shop floor can help the bottom line
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Those of us of a certain age will remember John Lydon singing about anger being an energy in the post-punk 1980s, and although I’m quite sure his words were to do with the usefulness of that emotion in social and political commentary and action - a meaning far away from the world of business and retail – it’s fair to say that emotions are at the fore of almost every business decision too. Even in those where it isn’t overtly perceived or displayed, you can be pretty sure there is at least a fragment of sentiment sitting deep beneath our choices and reasons for reaching a certain conclusion. None of us are completely immune to our feelings, so no matter how much we like to think that we are making cold and clinical decisions, we are really all slaves to emotions. The study of emotions, their interaction and intensity have been discussed in great detail from a psychological point of view by many, but here I want to discuss how certain emotions can influence retail, in particular decisions you make and your contact with others, from customers to colleagues to suppliers. If you wish to explore the intellectual side of the topic, a good starting point would be someone like Robert Plutchik who describes emotions as being in a threedimensional, varying intensity, interconnected world. He breaks
emotions down at a mid-intensity level to anger, anticipation, joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness and disgust, and I’m sure that everyone has experienced all of these in their business to various degrees. From here on we will leave Mr Plutchik out of the discussion and just use his emotional descriptors, although I would urge you to check out his Wheel of Emotions, which is coincidentally quite flower-like, as we see how these emotions interact with the various areas of retail. Heading back to my post-punk reference starting point, I must agree with Mr Lydon, as I have always found anger to be something useful and mind-focussing, although I can appreciate it certainly affects different people in different ways. I think a key point is how we use any emotion and the need, at the very least, to attempt to turn all emotions into a positive force, as anger can be a great driver towards success as well as something debilitating and dangerous. Anger in its purest form can be channelled into productivity and make you more focussed to succeed, and in that achievement, you will find a release for that anger. This can be a successful modus operandi in dealing with what can be an incapacitating emotion, it should be used in a controlled release to drive projects and a desire to prosper in the face of naysayers and those who wish us ill.
Autumn/Winter 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED
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