S1:E8 Cutting Out Negativity - Insights from April Sabral
In this episode, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden welcome April Sabral, founder of retailu.ca and author of 'The Positive Effect' and 'Incurable Positivity.' April shares her insights on the importance of maintaining a positive outlook in retail leadership. She discusses how to deal with negative news and conversations, emphasizing the importance of not getting enrolled in negativity and instead fostering productive and positive discussions. April provides practical advice for retail leaders on how to inspire their teams and achieve success even in challenging environments.
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Meet your hosts::
Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voices for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2024. Thinkers 360 named him a Top 10 Retail Thought Leader, Top 50 Management Thought Leader, & Top 100 Digital Transformation Thought Leader, plus a Top Digital Voice for 2024. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation, and is the director partner marketing for retail & consumer goods at Microsoft.
Casey Golden, is CEO of Luxlock, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert for 2024 & 2023, & Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand & the consumer. After a career on the fashion & supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks & building retail tech!
Music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Swag, Tag and Brag from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.
Transcript
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Ricardo Belmar: Welcome to our new Retail Razor show, Blade to Greatness,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 our new standalone Retail Razor show, where we hear from a retail industry
00:00:14 --> 00:00:19 leader who shares their sharp insights and cuts of wisdom on how to excel in
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 this dynamic and competitive field.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:25 In this series, we learn about the essential must have skills and qualities
00:00:25 --> 00:00:30 that every retail executive needs to lead their teams and their business to success.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 Casey Golden: Whether we're talking about HQ or stores, we'll uncover valuable
00:00:33 --> 00:00:39 tips and advice that every retail leader can apply to their own retail career
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 path, raising your Blade to Greatness.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 Ricardo Belmar: I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 Casey Golden: And I'm your co host Casey Golden.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 Today we're speaking with April.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:53 Sabral, founder of retail u.ca, an online leadership development portal
00:00:53 --> 00:00:58 for field leaders and also the author of two books, "The Positive Effect"
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 and her latest "Incurable Positivity".
00:01:01 --> 00:01:06 After three decades running stores for brands such as Starbucks, Banana Republic,
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 Apple, Holt Renfrew, and DavidsTea April transitioned into coaching and
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 training after seeing the impact of leadership firsthand on a retail business.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:22 Her current clients include brands like Jimmy Choo, L'Oreal, Victoria's
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 Secret, David's Bridal, and more.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 Ricardo Belmar: Today she's here to talk with us about one of the most important
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 skills every retail leader needs:
00:01:30 --> 00:01:34 how to stop being enrolled into negativity news, doom and gloom, and so on.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 Welcome, April.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:36 April Sabral: Hey, good morning.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:37 Nice to be here.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 it's interesting, right?
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 How many times a day do people call you to tell you all the doom and
00:01:42 --> 00:01:48 gloom or send you emails or LinkedIn posts about like retail's dead, right?
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 Like all the time.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:50 Hundred percent.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 So I'm not the person that anybody calls to actually do that because they know
00:01:54 --> 00:01:55 what's gonna happen when they do that.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 'cause I'm not being enrolled in those conversations.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 I always say life is like an enrollment game, right?
00:02:00 --> 00:02:06 Like we're enrolling customers to buy what we are selling and we're
00:02:06 --> 00:02:10 enrolling our teams to buy into what we want them and need them to do.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:15 We're being enrolled in conversations all day that are just not
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 productive about what's going on.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 So this is one of the number one questions I get all the time.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Now it's like, oh, you're so positive, but like how?
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 How do you deal with a person that comes at you with negative news and
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 just complaining about everything and there's a fine line because you
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 don't want to just come across as not.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:36 You're not listening, you don't have empathy, and you're just ignoring
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 everything they're saying because it's not certainly about that, because
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 listening makes people feel valued.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:41 Right.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 But I think.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:47 What I coach most people on these days is just about just not being enrolled
00:02:47 --> 00:02:51 in it and like looking at it like a little bit of a game of like, okay,
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 so I hear what you're saying, right?
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 Like what I'm understanding is that you're stressed about what's
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 happening in the world of retail.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 However, I do believe that there's some good things that are happening, so let's
00:03:02 --> 00:03:06 talk about that and what we can do to like bring more of that into this conversation
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 so that we can move it forwards.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:07 I just.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 I just play games all day of enrolling people into positive conversations.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:16 And actually when they leave, they feel a lot better, right?
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 Most of the time.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 So I think it's more about just not buying in and getting engaged
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 in those circular conversations that really just not productive.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 They don't create any kind of action plans.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 They don't create any strategies, they don't create good vibrations
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 and make you feel good.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 So, It's it's hard.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 It's not easy, but for me, I have a lot of filters.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 Like I just, I don't listen to the news every day.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 And actually I got on an Uber the other day 'cause I was traveling and
00:03:41 --> 00:03:45 he literally had the news on and it was just doom and gloom and I was
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 just like, can you change the channel?
00:03:47 --> 00:03:53 Could just, I can't listen to it anymore 'cause I've just attuned myself to not
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 and usually people call me and tell me if there's something I need to know.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:57 But it's just, yeah, it's about enrollment.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 It's about where you are, how you're having those conversations all day.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 But you do wanna acknowledge people.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 You don't wanna ignore them and just be like, not listening to it.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:05 'cause that's just rude.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:06 Right?
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 And that's just not good people skills.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:11 So I spend a lot of time talking to leaders about that these days, how
00:04:11 --> 00:04:15 to not be enrolled, and then how to enroll people into a good conversation.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 Casey Golden: Yes, I feel that the overarching doom and gloom
00:04:19 --> 00:04:23 is very toxic these days.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 It doesn't take much to get a spiral.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:26 April Sabral: No.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 Yeah, a hundred percent.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:33 I always say if you're gonna actually have a conversation or
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 be enrolled in a conversation with somebody, make sure it's a good one.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:36 Right?
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Like, Pick a good one.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 If you're gonna, if you're gonna have a thought, pick a good one.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 So, yeah, but it is a skill in the way that you do that.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 Because when you start practicing this all day and you start like
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 becoming the person that enrolls people in positive conversations and
00:04:50 --> 00:04:54 positive things are happening, it gets a bit uncomfortable for people.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 I'm not gonna lie, because they're so used to complaining, but we've
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 been hearing doom and gloom about retail's dead for the last 15 years.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 As far as I know, it's all.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Right, especially somebody that comes from stores, but there'll always
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 be stores that close and there'll always be another brand that opens.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 That's just the cycle of retail
00:05:11 --> 00:05:11 Casey Golden: It is.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 That's why leases aren't forever.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:14 April Sabral: right?
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, that's right.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:16 April Sabral: A hundred
00:05:17 --> 00:05:17 Ricardo Belmar: Just part of business.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 Yeah.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:18 Yeah.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 Yeah, and I think too, at the same time, right?
00:05:22 --> 00:05:26 You, no one wants to be a leader just to lead people down that
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 negative path and to always be leading into gloom and doom, right?
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 The whole point to being in that leadership role is to help the
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 team aspire to do something right and to accomplish something.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:40 And if you're not being positive about that and encouraging more positivity
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 than how do you ever get them across the finish line on any goal?
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 April Sabral: Yeah, and I just remember that when I got given goals and I was
00:05:46 --> 00:05:50 like, oh Lord, how am I gonna make sure that my team is achieving this with me?
00:05:51 --> 00:05:55 I could see literally when I would show up and like start kind of complaining about
00:05:55 --> 00:06:00 the goals or saying they're not realistic and I'd be enrolling my team in that.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 And then they would start believing that because I was saying it,
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 'cause I had such an influence.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 Whereas if I would show up and be like, okay, this goal is big,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 we're gonna chunk it down, right?
00:06:08 --> 00:06:09 Like how are we gonna achieve this?
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 What can you do?
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 What can we do to inspire people?
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 And I would enroll them in the positive and I could just see the difference
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 in the results immediately happen.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 And so that's where I'm.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 That's where I learned that skill actually working through retail in the
00:06:22 --> 00:06:26 stores at times where it was tough, where goals were hard to achieve.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 So, yeah, but it's the number one question I get asked all the
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 time, how do I deal with negative people that are coming at me?
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 And that's why I wrote a whole book about it.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:39 Casey Golden: Yeah, personally I've seen a lot of my doom and gloom.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 I think we all know who those people are in our lives.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 Do you find, I find that most of them aren't even aware.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:50 I have to kind of bring it to their attention and say like, this isn't
00:06:50 --> 00:06:55 gonna help us, or this isn't gonna help me and I need to say this, so if you
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 wanna talk later this evening about it, it's fine, but I can't do it at noon.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:00 April Sabral: Yeah, they don't.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 Yeah, no, it's so true.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 They don't know.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 And actually I flip it on them, so I, like you just shared,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 like, it's not helping me.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 I actually say to 'em, it's not helping
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 Casey Golden: not helping you.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 Yeah.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:09 April Sabral: Yeah.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 Like, I'm not helping you if I perpetuate this conversation, right?
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 Because you are not gonna feel good if you keep talking about it.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 Now we need to vent, we need to get a little about, but I usually
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 say, you've got 17 seconds.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 And then like, we're moving on, right?
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 Like, that's it.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:27 But yeah, it's, I always say, I'm not helping you if I, the best way I can
00:07:27 --> 00:07:31 support you is to help you find a solution or help you find a better thought or
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 a better feeling in this situation.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 Because you're gonna leave just uplifted and feeling better about everything.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:41 So, Yeah, but most people are not aware when they're doing it because we're
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 just programmed that way in the world.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 Think about news.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 News is all negative news.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 When do you ever turn on the news and really hear like great things?
00:07:49 --> 00:07:49 You just don't,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 Casey Golden: I don't really listen to it anymore
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 April Sabral: No,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 Casey Golden: It's not how I wanna start my morning.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 April Sabral: Yeah, exactly.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, exactly.
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 Well, April, thank you so much for sharing another valuable insight with
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 us and a hundred percent with you on that, that the enrolling in the gloom and
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 doom is never going to lead to success.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 You've got to find ways to turn that around.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:10 April Sabral: Oh, you're welcome.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 Thank you.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:12 Casey Golden: Thanks April.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:18 if you've enjoyed our show, please consider giving us a five star rating and
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00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 I'm your cohost, Casey Golden.
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00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 Casey Golden: Thanks for joining us.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 Ricardo Belmar: Until next time, keep cutting through
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 the clutter and stay sharp.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 This is the Retail Razor Blade to Greatness.