Don't BUCKLE Under Pressure

One of my favorite times to be at the mall is during Christmas. It’s one of the busiest parts of the year and each store goes through a lot of preparation to deal with customers and their potential problems. However, we all know it doesn’t have to be Christmas for the malls to be bombarded with people.

Lawrence Patterson, an Area Leader and Store Manager at the Buckle in Barton Creek Square Mall, knows how to deal with these problems. Pre-staffing, proper scheduling, and organizing the day are some of the key things that help managers and workers at the Buckle manage their time and stay prepared. When it comes down to Lawrence managing his personal time, his favorite thing to do is break down the week. He sets aside time to be at his personal location, as well as the other stores he oversees as an area leader. His planner, which he carries with him at all times, helps him maintain a schedule. A key point he stressed is that people should schedule in personal time. This is one thing he struggled with at first, but with time he’s come to realize you can’t have all work and no play. Another helpful tip he mentioned was, “Execute the time line. When you make a schedule, it’s because you intend to carry out your plans, so go ahead and follow through.” Aside from using his planner, he uses his phone which he claims “is the new way of the future.” I’m pretty sure we can all relate to that!

When it came down to some final tips and suggestions, his co-worker Daryl had the following advice: “Be prepared for your plan not to work. Have a backup plan, and a backup plan for that backup plan.” It sounds pretty funny, but plans don’t always run smoothly. At the Buckle it’s obvious their great time management and forward thinking prevents them from “buckling under pressure.”