“Some of them act like it’s just a job, not a responsibility. How do I make them care?”
You check your email—another store issue.
📩 Sales are down.
📩 Scheduling is a mess.
📩 Customer service scores dropped.
So you call the store manager and ask what’s going on.
Their response?
🤷♂️ “I don’t know. I told the team what to do.”
🤦♀️ “We’re short-staffed—what do you expect?”
😴 “It is what it is.”
And that’s when it hits you:
They don’t own the problem.
They’re just going through the motions—showing up, clocking in, and doing the bare minimum.
But they don’t take responsibility for making the store better.
And you?
👉 You’re stuck chasing them down, micromanaging every issue, and feeling like you care more than they do.
Why Some Store Managers Don’t Take Ownership
Not every manager naturally acts like a leader.
Some just see the role as a paycheck—not a responsibility.
Why?
📉 They’ve never been trained to think like leaders.
- If all they’ve ever done is follow orders, they don’t know how to own results.
😞 They feel like corporate doesn’t care, so why should they?
- If corporate only pushes numbers and never supports them, they lose motivation.
😰 They’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to focus on.
- When everything feels urgent, they just react instead of leading.
📌 Bottom line? Some managers need coaching to shift from “this is just a job” to “this is my responsibility.”
How to Get Store Managers to Take Ownership (Without Micromanaging)
You can’t force someone to care.
But you can create a system where ownership becomes natural.
Here’s how:
1. Stop Solving Every Problem for Them
If managers always rely on you for answers, they’ll never take ownership.
📌 How to shift responsibility:
✔ When they bring a problem, ask for solutions first.
✔ Make them think through issues before escalating them to you.
✔ If they drop the ball, let them feel the consequences (within reason).
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of: “Here’s how to fix scheduling.”
✅ Say: “What’s your plan to solve this?”
If they always expect you to step in, they’ll never step up.
2. Set Clear Expectations for Ownership
Some managers don’t take responsibility because they don’t know what’s expected.
📌 Fix this with clear standards:
✔ “You own store results—good or bad.”
✔ “If something isn’t working, it’s YOUR job to fix it.”
✔ “I’ll support you, but I won’t do it for you.”
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of: “Make sure your team is engaged.”
✅ Say: “If customer service scores drop, I expect you to coach your team and improve them.”
Ownership starts with accountability.
3. Make Them Feel the Impact of Their Leadership
Many managers don’t connect their actions to store performance.
📌 Show them how leadership drives results:
✔ Compare sales trends under different leadership styles.
✔ Show data on how engaged managers get better team performance.
✔ Call out when their leadership choices lead to success.
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of: “Sales went up last week.”
✅ Say: “Your coaching on upselling led to a 10% increase in sales—great job.”
When managers see how their actions affect the store, they start to care more.
4. Give Them More Control Over Their Store
People take ownership of what they have control over.
📌 How to give managers real decision-making power:
✔ Let them have a say in hiring and scheduling.
✔ Give them budget responsibility (where possible).
✔ Allow them to test ideas and take risks.
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of: “Corporate says we have to do this.”
✅ Say: “What changes do you think would improve our numbers?”
When managers feel like real leaders, they start acting like it.
5. Call Out Passive Leadership Immediately
If a manager is checked out, address it head-on.
📌 How to do this:
✔ Point out the behavior: “I’ve noticed you’re just reacting to problems instead of leading.”
✔ Explain the impact: “That’s why the team isn’t engaged and performance is slipping.”
✔ Reset expectations: “I need you to step up and take ownership of this store.”
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of: “You need to try harder.”
✅ Say: “Your team follows your energy—if you don’t care, they won’t either.”
Make it clear that leadership is a choice.
6. Recognize & Reward Managers Who Step Up
Managers who take ownership should be acknowledged—not just the ones with the best numbers.
📌 Ways to reinforce leadership behaviors:
✔ Shout out great decision-making in meetings.
✔ Give high-ownership managers more career opportunities.
✔ Reward effort and engagement—not just results.
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of only praising: “You hit your sales target!”
✅ Also praise: “You took ownership of a tough staffing issue and kept morale high—great leadership.”
When managers see that ownership leads to recognition, they’ll embrace it.
7. Accept That Not Every Manager Will Step Up—And Take Action
Some people just aren’t leaders.
If a manager refuses to take ownership, despite coaching, then:
📌 You have two options:
✔ Coach them into another role where they don’t lead.
✔ Replace them with someone who will step up.
💡 Example:
🚫 Instead of constantly micromanaging a weak leader…
✅ Find someone who actually wants to lead.
A bad leader hurts the entire team. Sometimes, the best move is letting them go.
Bottom Line: Leadership Can’t Be Forced—But It Can Be Developed
Some managers naturally take ownership. Others need coaching, structure, and accountability to get there.
✔ Stop solving every problem for them—make them own it.
✔ Set clear expectations for leadership, not just management.
✔ Show them how their actions impact store performance.
✔ Give them real control—people own what they build.
✔ Call out passive leadership immediately.
✔ Recognize managers who step up.
✔ Replace those who won’t take responsibility.
Because at the end of the day?
💡 You can’t care more about their store than they do.
Your job isn’t just to enforce rules.
It’s to create leaders who take pride in running their stores—like they own them.
Blog Titles:
- How to Get Store Managers to Take Ownership (Without Micromanaging)
- Retail Leaders: How to Turn Passive Managers into True Leaders
- Tired of Store Managers Who Just Clock In and Out? Here’s How to Make Them Care
- Retail DMs: How to Stop Babysitting Managers Who Won’t Take Responsibility
- From Passive to Proactive: How to Build a Team of Store Leaders, Not Just Managers
- Retail Leadership: How to Get Your Store Managers to Own Their Results
- How to Handle Store Managers Who Just “Go Through the Motions”
- If Your Store Managers Don’t Take Ownership, Here’s What to Do
- How to Develop Leadership Mindsets in Store Managers Who Just “Follow Orders”
- Retail Managers Who Don’t Care? Here’s How to Fix the Problem (Or Find Someone Who Will)
Call-to-Action (CTA):
“Struggling with store managers who don’t take ownership? You’re not alone. Drop a comment with your biggest challenge, or reach out for expert strategies on building a team of true leaders—not just people who show up for a paycheck.”
