How to Lead Your Team When Everything Feels Like a Hot Mess

Let me tell you about the week I just had—it was pure holiday chaos. The kind that makes you take a deep breath and say, "Alright, here we go!"  

Earlier this week, I opened for my department Monday through Wednesday. Now, Sundays are already a circus because everybody and their cousin is out shopping, and with a 50% off Christmas sale, the aftermath was real. I walked into work to find 3-4 overflowing baskets of returns, misplaced items, and damaged goods that needed sorting. For context, retail folks know it’s usually one basket, maybe two. So, walking into that madness with just myself, a customer service rep, and a drive-up rep felt like a setup.  

Here’s the first leadership red flag: a lack of communication. The head honchos were out, and nobody thought to give the team a heads-up. You don’t have to share your itinerary with the team, but a quick “Hey, I’ll be out” goes a long way in setting expectations. 

But here’s the real issue—things could’ve been managed better if there had been more communication and strategy. Now, listen, I’m all about being flexible, but when the big bosses are out and no one tells the team in advance? Red flag. I didn’t know they were out until the end of my shift the day before. So, by the time 10 a.m. hit, we were slammed with customers, short-staffed, and had a surprise visit from the district manager. Now, their thing is not liking to see customers wait. But how are we supposed to meet those expectations without the proper staffing or strategy in place?  

This is where leadership really comes into play. I’ve been in management long enough to know that leadership isn’t just about showing up and looking busy. It’s about having a strategy. Every industry has peak times—whether it’s retail, corporate, or any other field—and if you know those times are coming, you’ve got to plan for them. If the same issue is occuring each time each year, there is a problem in the leadership that needs to be fixed. When you don’t, and your team is left scrambling, it creates unnecessary stress, frustration, and burnout.

And here's the hard truth—when leaders don’t plan, their employees end up feeling the weight. Sis, if you’re short-staffed, stressed out, and overwhelmed, it’s okay to just do your best. No one expects you to perform miracles. I wasn’t able to fix everything in one day, but I did my best. And you know what? That’s all anyone can ask for.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re feeling the weight of not being able to do it all, know this: Do your best, prioritize what’s urgent, and let everything else wait. Don’t beat yourself up because you didn’t do everything perfectly—because guess what? You can’t control everything which I know alot of like too. But what you can control, you got it, girl.