Monthly Blog: March

March has been a slower month around the ReStore, so there isn't too much to cover relating to new management skills that are possible to record/have evidence of. Example, it's hard for myself to take a picture relating to the topics of customer service and daily maintenance goals that fall under the line of taking calls and answering emails. However, I wanted to go back to the staff meeting that I had in January and build up on the notes I've taken and the tactics I've picked up when communicating with both staff members and volunteers. Having a time during the week where people discuss the status of the store is very beneficial to both productivity and figuring out which tasks have priority in terms of completion. The status of the store meetings is where you also get to see the creative side of employees and tips on what they believe can help improve the overall functionality of your store.

To explain the paper above, it's quite simple. First, the manager opens the meeting up, usually starting with a heartfelt good morning or in some cases, a prayer (Habitat for Humanity has Christian roots). This eases people into the meeting before the main meat of the discussion/ideas to improve gets started. Next up we have daily/weekly objectives in which we need to complete. Example, I had to help the staff members move out a giant grill within the backroom all the way out to the front store floor. Additionally, I was on sweeping and vacuum duty an hour before we closed. All-in-all, a checklist that kept people on task so everyone knew what was expected of them.

On the next bullet point, employees had a chance to voice what they felt was wrong with the store and what they could do to improve. Example, one of our staff members, Imelda, who works the register, brought new merchandise found in the back last week to the managers attention. The items found was a nice, polished, Victorian-esque tea set. Of course, our manager, Andrew Johnson, was happy to know we had lucrative, yet unaccounted for product hidden within the back. Employee feedback is very critical and useful to lend an ear to as a manager, which is why I found this staff meeting to be very insightful on listening to fellow workers and subordinates. You never know what kind of good nuggets of wisdom they could bring to your attention.

Blog 18: Fourth Interview Preparation

The Fourth Interview Questions for Marvin Negrete (Current Hotel Supervisor for Sheraton Hotel/Former Cheesecake Factory Warehouse Manager; three locations)

1. You’ve had the experience of dealing with customers and you know what the busiest times of the day are for any establishment. What would you say are the busiest hours of the day for any type of store/business/service? Please specify further if needed
2. Is there any particular type of customer that you find almost impossible to accommodate/please?
3. What strategies do you use in order to keep track of employee performance?
4. Are you a type of manager that likes to micro-manage or macro-manage when supervising employee? Give examples if necessary.
5. Aside from communication, leadership, and organization, could you explain what other important ideals you need in order to survive in the management world?
6. How do you, as a manager, keep morale high within your workforce?
7. In your experience of being a manager, have you had to step into the employee’s shoes to pick-up the slack and get tasks completed? Provide examples please.
8. In your opinion, what defines a winning team? Example: you’re a manager and you have your team of employees. What do you feel defines the traits of having a successful team?
9. On the note of teams, what kind of standards do you set for your employees?
10. Are there ever times as a manager when you just solely work alone? (Aside from managing performance from team members of course
11. When the busiest hours of the day are just an hour away, do you do anything to prepare for the oncoming, non-stop work?
12. How do you keep your team calm during the particularly busiest work hours of the day?
13. What’s the most detrimental setback that could happen during management? How do you solve those problems?
14. Do you have any particular time and employee management strategies you would like to share?
15. How do you measure success as a manager?
16. How do you delegate tasks as a manager?
17. How do you manage employees with a negative attitude?
18. Describe your approach to making decisions and solving problems. Why do you do it this way?
19. How much leeway do you give your employees to make decisions? How do you still maintain control?
20. How far in advance do you typically plan activities for yourself and your employees?

Blog 17: Third Answer

EQ: What is the most effective way to manage a store during the busiest hours of the day?

Answer #3: Ensure that you, as a qualified manager, make an exceedingly positive presence within your store to both employees and customers

Reasoning:

1. Your employees must always be aware where they could locate you during a time of crisis or concern. The more time your employees spend trying to find you for a problem, the less productive they are and the more they could possibly panic. Example: if an employee gets injured on the job and another employee rushes to report it, they must be able to locate you to ensure that you know about the incident.
2. Your customers must see a manager who is actively working and confident about his mission, style of management, and goals. The more positive traits and attributes that a customer actively notices, the more that they are engaged to whatever service that said leadership provides. 
3. Just the very act of employees noticing a manager get his daily tasks done on the store floor is huge. Sometimes the manager is depicting as "not really doing anything," however, that couldn't be further than the trust. Sometimes also, a manager must present himself and what he does to ensure that employees know exactly what the manager is contributing to the store.

Research/Sources

1. 49G - Branson, Richard. "Mirror Mirror." The Virgin Way: Everything I Know about Leadership. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 2014. 53-71. Print.
2. 43K - Patterson, Kerry. "Mastering Crucial Conversations, The Power of Dialogue." Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 19-31. Print.
3. 21E - Lutz, Robert A. "Georges-Andre Chevallaz." Icons and Idiots: Straight Talk on Leadership. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 2013. 5-13. Print.

Concluding Sentence

Managerial presence has an astounding effect on both morale and sustainability on part of both your employees and your customers.