Every decent story, and likewise many lessons begin with: Once upon a time...
At one point our company managed affairs in a simple yet imperfect manner. If a store needed a produce manager, a supervisor met with the store manager and selected someone who they thought was up to the task. That person was promoted. End of story.
By the time this produce scribe was on the docket to get his own department, our company (like many others) adopted a more formal protocol. Department managers would be selected only after successfully passing a series of internal interviews. Since the decree came from the top, the interview process was also handled by the big guys. The vice-presidents of the company.
The process was long on philosophy, yet somewhat short on substance.
In fact, our company’s senior vice president was a peculiar gent. He fancied himself as one who could analyze personalities. And as a result of the conversation, put his undergraduate minor psychology degree to work and declared at the interview conclusion exactly in what profession he surmised the interviewee was best suited. Sigh.
After my interview most of our veeps were okay with me managing a produce stand. However, the Sigmund Freud of the bunch (who had the final say) stroked his goatee beard after my interview and concluded that no – my strengths were more closely in line, not in produce management but rather in – teaching.
I was bummed. What world was this guy in? But I wasn’t alone. As it turned out, of the handful of potential department candidates, no one was selected. Weeks later, after pressure to fill the spots grew from district managers who knew the score, I eventually got the management nod.
But the eccentric VP wasn’t all that that looney-tunes.
After all, when you really think about it, produce directors, produce supervisors, produce managers are absolutely teachers.
How so? Because directors indeed mentor their supervisors, specialists, merchandisers, buyers, and others. Or should. Supervisors spend time in the stores, coaching produce managers and helping shape their crews. And produce managers train their clerks. Training is teaching.
And teaching requires preparation and perseverance.
Especially, produce retailing direction requires repetition. Lessons taught today must be reviewed tomorrow. And the next day, and sometimes the day after that. Teaching the same for established or new people. It requires the calm, the demeanor, the patience of a coach, a teacher.
I wasn’t a very good student. But can attest that I learned something from all my produce teachers along the way. And hope I paid their lessons forward.
In looking back at that first interview, of hearing that based on the informal analysis, that my ‘real’ profession should have been in education, I admit at first, I was confused and dismayed.
However, in retrospect and after decades of managing numerous people; teams and projects in many stores and doing so in several chains there’s one thing I’d like to say to that VP through my decades-old lens.
Teacher huh? Thanks. I consider that a compliment.