offered management position no exp. HELP!!

[novicecrafter]

I am starting to believe that it really is about being in the right place at the right time. I had applied for kmart online and oddly enough they allow you to make your own interview appointment. They give you a list of dates/times available and you choose your own. I made an appointment, showed up, and was promptly told that they dont follow that and wouldnt even let me talk to the supervisor. They were actually quite rude but I digress. I stopped by barnes and noble to check in on my application and was also turned away more rudely then was necesary. I am not overly sensitive or anything but it really seems like everything I have ever learned about how to apply for a job pisses people off around here. Of course I dont know what is so offensive about showing up early, dressed nicely for interviews and calling 1x or 2x a week to check on an application while being extremely polite and non obtrusive as possible. *shrugs*


So I was waiting in the craft store for my ride when I thought to myself why not? Ill try here.... So I filled out the app, talked to the store manager and went home. I applied for a basic $7 an hour entry level job. There were two available- stock and cashiering. I told her either would be fine. I had nothing on my application besides a "home business" for the last three years. I have had other retail jobs but they didnt last for more then a few months so I didnt put them down.

Imagine my surprise when she called me the next day and offered me a MANAGMENT POSITION at $9 an hour. I couldnt believe it!! Full time too!!! I cant even tell you how I feel right now. I guess Im a little freaked out. She listed off all sorts of responsibilities and I will be in charge of several people more then twice my age. So I guess my question is what makes a good manager? Any advice would be appreciated. Please help me avoid the newbie mistakes that end up pissing everyone off!! She mentioned schedualing, training new cashiers, explaining new policies to employees, managing class schedules and selling them to customers. OMG IM so excited and so freaked out at the same time! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I am guessing its one of those good for both sides type of things. They get an employee who will work for less money and give it all they've got and I get a great oppurtunity that will help me out and frankly that I havent earned yet. I dont see a problem with this and I dont feel taken advantage of in any way. I also am going into it realizing that I am not better then anyone else or that other employees couldnt have my job. More that Im assuming they probably dont want the added headaches and jusy enjoy a more laid back position at this stage in life. In other words I am NOT going into this with a big head and want to make it clear that I know I am there to make their lives easier not the other way around.

[Lostfiniel]

I haven't had any experience working as managment yet (although I may have a supervisor position soon ) but in my experiences with the various managers I have had, I think I can make some suggestions.

One of the things I think is most important is to never give someone a job you wouldn't do yourself. I remember one time while I was working at a gas station and my manager handed me a razor blade, a saftey vest and a traffic cone and told me I needed to go scrape the gum off the ground around the gas pumps. There are many times when difficult things come up in work situations and I think the best leaders are the ones who make the strongest forces as opposed to just handing out tough jobs to everyone else.

The other thing I have seen that seems to make a poor manager is when the person is not willing to take the blame for their own mistakes. It's a poor trait in any position but it seems to made even worse when you are manager.

As far as things you can do.....it depends on the job I think. If there are chores that needed to be done daily and some are jobs people tend not to like, try and make sure not to put the same person on it every day. I had one supervisor who would put all the jobs on pieces of paper each night and then put them in a container and have the workers pull out the job they would have to do that night (for closing shifts things like sweeping, taking out trash, cleaning the bathrooms.) it seemed to go over well.

[Spiffy McMoron]

Congratulations on the job offer! The fact that you're worrying about it is a good sign--it shows that you care enough to try to do the best job you can, and are open to suggestions to improve yourself.

Also, I recommend taking a look around The Back Room. It's a place for those who are managers to get together, and those who are becoming managers are welcomed-nay, encouraged-to go there, look around, and ask for advice.

Good luck, with whatever you choose!

[Pedersen]

I remember hearing a story that, while it might not tell you any actual steps to take, could still be of use.

The story goes that someone had asked Dwight Eisenhower how to be a great leader like he was. Eisenhower's reply was to take a piece of string, put it on one end of his desk, and push it across to the other end.

Look at the string, and it's all a mess. This is just like the people under you: If you push them to your goal, you'll have a mess when you get there (if you get there at all).

He then took the same string, and pulled it back to the other end.

Look at the string, and it's nice and neat, in a straight line. This, too, is just like the people under you. Pull them along with you. Your people will fall in line behind you, and will make everything happen that needs to.

No step by step guide, but maybe still helpful.

[Seshat]

Think about what your job as a manager is. Find out which parts of the business are handled by those above you, and which parts are expected of you and your team.

Find out what things your team likes to do, and what things your team expects to do. Find out what people feel is their responsibility, as well. Give these parts of the job to your team, unless you have very good reason to take it from them.
Examine what's left. Distribute that as fairly as you can between yourself and your team.

Shield your team from those above you. When the people above you screw up, try to pass blame, or let undeserved crap fall to your level, hold yourself as an umbrella and protect your team from as much of it as you can. Let them know what you're doing, too.

When you have good people, you can usually just give them directions and show them where the boundaries are. There's a great Queen of Wands strip about 'punishing' good people who will punish themselves worse than you ever would.

Try to make authority match responsibility. Give your people all the tools, including authority, they need to do the jobs you assign them. And don't get in the way. As long as the job is done well, it doesn't (usually) matter how it's done.
When the method does matter, make sure people know that it does - and if you can, tell them why the method matters.

If any of your people have disabilities, ask them what allowances will help them. Find out if there are any government or charity programs to pay for tools like tall stools at the checkout (so they can sit rather than stand), or knee pads, or stepstairs. Your disabled worker's occupational therapist or advocate should know, and the places that sell these things probably will know too. If there are, you and the worker's OT can probably get equipment bought to make them more productive and in less pain - and your staff should appreciate that you've actually done the paperwork and cared.

Some jobs are urgent. Some are important. Some are both. Some are neither. Learn to classify them.

Don't let the paperwork mount up. You need the graphs and charts and reports your software has, to tell you how well your shop is really doing.

Learn basic accounting. Learn the difference between profit and revenue. Don't forget depreciation, don't forget insurances. Learn how to calculate risks.

Backup your data, and test your backups periodically. If possible, find a geek friend who can let you use a blank hard drive, and spend a day restoring not just your data, but your software. (It's scary how often people don't realise that if the store burns down, you're going to need to reinstall everything, not just the data.)

My parents ran a small business for more than half my life. I guess I learned more from watching them than I thought I did.

[bigjimaz]

http://www.thegoodmanager.com/

[NightAngel]

1. Never ask your employees to do something you don't do.
Example: Clean the bathroom(s) yourself a few times a week.

2. Acknowlege experience.
In other words- don't be afraid to ask your employees if they know how to do something you don't.

3. Acknowlege a job well done.
In other words- a High 5 and a a smile goes a long way.

4. Be the role model.

5. Coach first- discipline second.
Many times simply explaining why an employee should or shouldn't be doing something and showing them the right way will clear up an issue.
Even if it's something like tardiness if you sit them down, ask them why they've been late X times this week and then explain how it's effecting those around them, "See when you're late coming in then Bob is leaving late to pick his kid up from daycare. He has to pay more on the days he's late." or, "Bob has been late to class X times this week waiting for you. Being late could effect his grade."
Many times simply laying it out for them that what they do really DOES effect everyone is enough.

6. Don't be a doormat.
There are times when you must discipline. Do it.

7. Back- up your employees.
Unless they have just told someone something that is WAY out in left field- back them up. I can tell you that my employees make decisions several times a week that I personally wouldn't have made but, as long as it's reasonable and within policy, etc. I back them. To the customer- to corporate, whatever. I will, if needed, coach them on things they could do if a similar situation arises again. Of course, I wait until AFTER the customer is gone.

8. Don't jump into the mix everytime just because you're the manager.
Part of Customer Service is dealing with customer issues. Yes, there are times when you'll want to step in right away but not always. You can learn a great deal about an individual employees strengths and weaknesses by listening to their dealings with difficult issues. Also, if they're ever going to be managers themselves they have to make decisions, etc. on their own. Usually, I'm actively listening without looking like I am.

9. Know now that sometimes you'll make the wrong decision.
And that's okay. You are human. As long as you do your best and can give some viable reasoning behind your decisions you will survive. Don't be afraid to admit your mistakes.

10. HAVE FUN!
My motto is:
What's the point in going to work if you aren't having fun doing it?
Yes, copius amounts of work can be accomplished while having a good time.

[RammsteinGirl]

I am starting to believe that it really is about being in the right place at the right time. I had applied for kmart online and oddly enough they allow you to make your own interview appointment. They give you a list of dates/times available and you choose your own. I made an appointment, showed up, and was promptly told that they dont follow that and wouldnt even let me talk to the supervisor. They were actually quite rude but I digress.

Run, RUN I tell you! Run as fast as you can away from Kmart! Trust me, I've worked there over a year now, and it sucks. It's a shitty company from the top down, and you can tell that just by walking into any Kmart store. As a new hire, you'll just be made to cashier (especially if you're female) or a stockman (if you're male). And you won't get shit for hours because Kmart likes to pinch pennies on their payroll (obviously). If you're looking to get into management positions, Kmart is NOT the company you want to work for, as it would take you years to move up within the company and by that time Kmart will probably be gone under, or turned into SearsMart or whatever.

I'm just biding my time there until I can quit when I transfer off to university next Fall.

[Jester]

Before even reading other people's comments, I am going to offer my advice.

First of all, remember all the things that managers have done over the years that pissed you off, irritated you, bothered you, made you mad, etc. Then don't do any of them!

Okay, seriously, you do need to understand that there are going to be times when staff is not going to agree with you or like your decisions. That is part of the job, and you need to know it going in. You can approach that in one of three ways: 1. You can let staff walk all over you. Not recommended. 2. You can be an asswipe and just do what you do, staff be damned. Also not recommended. 3. You can be nice and polite, but firm, about your decisions. I think you see where I am going with this.

As a manager, you need to be confident in your abilities, confident in your decisions, but also willing to admit when you erred and willing to change your decisions as the case dictates. The best managers have always been the ones that were just down to earth, happy, positive people. I have disagreed with every manager I have had at one point or another, but the good ones don't make me mad about it. Actually, with those managers, I kind of felt bad about disagreeing with them.

Also, if you are going to be doing scheduling (sounded like you were) you need to remember, as does staff, that requests for days off are just that....requests. A good manager will honor such requests when possible, but will also make the staff realize that sometimes, these things are not possible. For instance, if everyone on staff asks for Super Bowl Sunday off, obviously some people are going to be disappointed. (Unless, of course, the store closes for this wonderful holiday....) Different managers use different criteria to decide who gets the day off when there is a conflict. Seniority is one such factor, as is who had the request in first. You have to decide which is more appropriate on a case by case basis, of course.

Don't let the position go to your head. You don't sound like you are going to, but a lot of new managers feel they have to prove themselves, and go overboard in this area, often irritating the hell out of staff. If you are quietly confident about your abilities, know your role in the company, and make it clear what you expect of your staff (and they know that you won't ask them to do anything you aren't willing to do yourself), you should be just fine.

Oh, and remember that anyone named Jester gets free beer. Yes, I know it's a craft store, but these are the rules when it comes to management.

[NightAngel]

Also, if you are going to be doing scheduling (sounded like you were) you need to remember, as does staff, that requests for days off are just that....requests.

AND! Those requests need to be made a minimum of 2 weeks in advance.
Trust me on this.

[Retail Associate]

I'm not a manager nor do I play one on TV but I've been in retail for years and have seen many managers come and go. Out of all of them, there were only two that were good at their job. Those two people had 3 things in common:

• They didn't play favorites. Each person under them was treated equally and always with respect. Most managers I've worked for treated the employees like 3-year-olds.

• They were the boss. They weren't there to be your friend. The weakest manager I ever had was ineffective because she wanted to be everybody's friend. She was also a gossip and would tell anyone who would listen about things discussed between herself and another employee that should have been kept private.

• They had a sense of humor and realised that happy employees made for better, more productive employees.

I had one manager who wouldn't even let us carry on a conversation while we stocked shelves (no customers in view). She'd actually stand at the end of the aisle, put her finger to her mouth and shush us. She was a hard-ass like no other and only lasted about 1½ years before she had a complete breakdown and they hauled her ass out of their on a stretcher. (Ah...good times!!!)



.

[Seshat]

I had one manager who wouldn't even let us carry on a conversation while we stocked shelves (no customers in view). She'd actually stand at the end of the aisle, put her finger to her mouth and shush us.

Yes - as long as your staff are doing their jobs, and (if in view of customers) looking suitably professional for your particular field, I think a good manager will be happy for them to be talking, sitting on the floor, or dancing the macarena.

Okay, that last might be a bit difficult to do while stocking shelves efficiently, but eh.

[Jester]

AND! Those requests need to be made a minimum of 2 weeks in advance.
Trust me on this.

I disagree.

Frankly, it all depends on when the schedule is being done.

A perfect example of this would be recently when my manger who loves me cleared the first half of my schedule with very little notice so I could get out of town for several days and get away from everything. Normally, you need to have requests to her by the Wednesday before the schedule starts; she makes the schedule the Friday before the schedule starts; the schedule starts on Monday. I called her the Friday morning she'd be making the schedule. Admittedly, (a) she loves me and (b) the circumstances were a bit extreme, but even under normal situations, she would only need to hear from you by the Wednesday prior.

Admittedly, we live in a town where a week's notice of ANYTHING is considered longterm notice, but you get my point....the amount of notice necessary varies from situation to situation.

[Glutton4Punishment]

After running three different stores with different demographics for customers as well as employees I can try to give you pointers.

The first thing I learned is to go in strong but not too strong. In other words let your team know your expectations and goals but don't be an utter asshole unless pushed to that point.

Having been on both sides most employees will push just a little to see where your limits are. This is to be expected and how you handle it will go a long way into how your staff treats you.

Remember your job is to be the boss. That said you can be friendly with the staff in fact i recommend it, but DO NOT get drawn into being their best friend. I speak from experience on this trust me most of the time it ends up not being pretty.

Be fair with all team members, just because you may not like someone on a personal level is no reason to treat them badly. You have to work with this group and respect is the greatest ally you will have.

Don't be the know-it-all. If you don't know the answer, ask someone who does and listen so the nest time you will.

You WILL sometimes have to make unpopular decisions and you have to stick by these. There ill be times when you cannot immediately explain why it has to be that way for various reasons.

Above all grow a staff you can trust when you are not there. It's nice when you are home to not have to worry about being bothered unless it is a dire situation. While you are doing this make sure your team knows you trust their judgment and will back them as long as you feel they were trying to do the right thing. I have had no problem explaining to my DM that my employee handled the situation in what the felt was the best way and I supported them fully but let them know the proper course for future times. I have one person that will call me and tell me they think they just got in trouble, and after they explain the situation 9 time out of 10 they did exactly the right thing. The only thing I will not tolerate is a blatant lie to the the customer just to get them out.

Every rookie (and senior) manager has times they screw up. The key is not being afraid to admit it and ask for help so you don't do it again.

I hope this helps

[draftermatt]

Be compasstionate to a point.

If someone's relative, friend, etc. dies and they need some time off, give it to them. But, if after a week-ish (no set date as each person is different) they still can't work, then you have to put your foot down.

Look, grief sucks, but when you have people dependent on you, you have to make an effort no matter how hard it is.

If someone doesn't get requested time off, have a reason
Nothing will infuriate people more than not getting time off without a reason.