Archived one honest answer from a leader...

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keynesian

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I realize that many of you may not even be able to be as candid as you like, even in a forum such as this. With that being said, I would like to know - as a leader, how often do you have to lie - or at least completely omit the truth from your team members?

I ask mainly to know if my store is an aberration. So, my former ETL told me multiple times that aisles were set, when they weren't, they were just tied. I've been told god knows how many times that something had been repushed, only to see a leader physically take it outside, do nothing with it, bring it back, and call it backstock. I've seen multiple ETLs and TLs burn batches on a regular basis. I've seen them open up repacks just outside the backroom, and put a backstock clip on the shopping cart they just put it in. I've seen them dangle promotions in front of people's faces only to fire them a couple of months later. I've had multiple POG TLs tell me stuff in the transition steel wasn't set when it had been set for months.

Are you honest as a leader? or is that not how you get ahead at target?
 
For the most part, I was always honest with my TMs when I was TL. Obviously, there are some things you can't tell them so you occasionally have to make something up. Blatant lying like the examples you posted is something I would never do. People can figure that out quickly and it makes their respect for you vanish.
 
Sorry but that was something that absolutely drove me nuts.
I'm an adult as are most of the people working in the store, they deserve to be treated as such.
Leading by example is very much a thing.
If you aren't honest, you aren't going to get honest employees.
If you treat your people like children guess what you're going to get?
 
Merricme said:
Trust me you are the minority. Every store I've been at always has a childish high school perspective
Click to expand...

Of course, TMs and many TLs behave like children. They are treated as a bunch of morons as directed by the geniuses in corporate.

If they wanted people who can think & behave as adults, they wouldn't force them to become robots with no real voice.
 
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I'll let you know when in my TL interview i give my opportunity as being too honest, and see what happens.


Honestly, though, This seems like everyone around you is just giving up. We are smack dab into our Peak week and it has been an absolute disaster. I have actually broken through to a few of my TLs who are drowning in the Target Kool-Aid until I can get them by themselves, and we all essentially agree that we are all going to die when the Fourth Quarter starts. And something has to change.
 
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im honest with mine and feel like whats the point in being dishonest? the only thing I lie about is that I like people when I dont. theres so many people that think we are friends but i could care less if I ever spoke to them. but we work together so I try to keep things non combative
 
I've been lied to so many times by leadership. It's annoying and demoralizing. So now I just default to assuming everything they say is a lie unless otherwise proven otherwise. How this can possibly be a good system is beyond me, but it's all I can do anymore.
 
Retail Girl said:
I've been lied to so many times by leadership. It's annoying and demoralizing. So now I just default to assuming everything they say is a lie unless otherwise proven otherwise. How this can possibly be a good system is beyond me, but it's all I can do anymore.
Click to expand...

At my store (Besides my STL because I think she has to try and hold it all together, she won't say it is good or bad, she just acts neutral/stressed) It is common talk between ETLs-TLs-Brands about how bad this system actually is. We aren't blind and have all been here for years. It is rock solid shit.
 
I am completely honest with my team. About how I feel about processes good and bad. Their performance and my opinions of other leader's decisions. My peers are aware of this and give me open feedback as well. It's understood between us that if there is a problem, it's handled by us.

In return, my team is honest with me about my own decisions and how they feel about them. Good or bad. Perspective is never a bad thing to have.

My stl is a condescending jackass who doesn't understand or have any experience in any processes in the store (chyea single assignment), can't spell, or format a readable business communication. She's also a big micromanager. My ETl is more focused on being an STl than actually doing her job. As a result, she doesn't support me. In my experience, this is the case everywhere. Tenured leaders tend to be open and have longer term success with the buy in of their teams. Newer leaders cycle frequently because they fail to understand the key to success. Your team should come before everything. If they screw up you handle it, but when it comes to your peers, etls, and stl talking shit about your team, you defend them to the bitter end.
 
As a leader, I never lie to my team. I don't necessarily lie to my superiors, but I definitely accentuate the positive!

And whenever I get recognition, such as "You're an awesome leader!" my response is always the same, "That's because I have an awesome team." My team hears that (because let's be honest, TMs hear stuff, even when you're trying to be discreet). Handing my recognition to my team doesn't diminish my supervisors' respect for me. In fact, they're eager to recognize me again. And because my team respects me for giving them the credit, they'll push as hard as they can for me.

I see myself as a buffer between the crazy stupid bureaucracy and the real hard work that each person has to handle each day to make the store operate. This is how leadership used to work before everyone was just in it to self-promote. Sometimes - rarely - it still works...
 
I don't recall any leaders lying to me, but many of them are huge tools and/or completely ignore me. But I'd rather they ignore me than coach me every other day.
 
I don't lie to my team. However, I don't tell them everything. Some of the TM are the "need to know everything about everyone and anything". I tell them the answers to the questions that they can know, and if it is a question that involves something personal or higher up the chain, I just tell them they don't need that information....yet again, I am AP. (Secretsssssss)
 
I don't lie to my team. I keep everything professional with a side of candid. I'm very much an open book with everyone- ask me the right questions and you will get your answers.
I can't expect my team to meet our unrealistic goals if I'm not trying myself. I always tell them that if they're trying, I will know and I can only expect them to do their best. If there is info I can't tell them, them I dont, simple as that.
There are a ton of communication problems in my store. So I challenge my peers and etl to try hard to support each other. I get mad too and frustrated but I'm a big advocate on not bringing bad juju into the store, you can smell that from a mile away. So I try my best to be the voice of positive thinking and doing.
I think being honest is great- but sometimes some people will express being too honest negatively. If it's not proactive I don't see a whole lot of point to it. If I have a problem, I solve it and then pitch it to see if it works. Idk where exactly I was going with all this but I felt like responding or putting my 2 cents in.
 
It's easier to be honest with the team than to tell them lies. I'll tell them exactly why we do things the way we do them and usually the answer is always followed up with "We all have a boss to answer to" or "If my boss tells me to do something that isn't illegal and is within the realm of my job I do it because I want to continue working here." I understand how some feel that their TMs are like children. Sometimes they aren't the best at receiving bad news or they are really rude during huddles. Adults are quiet and respectful during meetings, children talk while others are talking. And honestly I don't care if you want to know how the store is doing or what changes are happening. If you don't listen at huddles and miss important information, tough. Huddles are a waste of time anyway. I'd say just be honest. Tell both sides (good and bad).
 
commiecorvus said:
Sorry but that was something that absolutely drove me nuts.
I'm an adult as are most of the people working in the store, they deserve to be treated as such.
Leading by example is very much a thing.
If you aren't honest, you aren't going to get honest employees.
If you treat your people like children guess what you're going to get?
Click to expand...

This kind of seems like a "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" type of problem. You say it starts with honest leadership, but im my experience, it's been the dishonest tm that comes first. The "yeah, I checked multiple locations for that casepack" or the "I totally didn't punch back in from lunch and sit back down in the break room for another 10 minutes" type of tm existed well before the dishonest leadership. Now, don't get me wrong, I've seen leaders do some pretty shady things to team members and other leaders, but I think the low pay and high (to them) expectations leads to the laziness and dishonesty.
 
="PStorm, post: 139510, member: 948"]
commiecorvus said:
Sorry but that was something that absolutely drove me nuts.
I'm an adult as are most of the people working in the store, they deserve to be treated as such.
Leading by example is very much a thing.
If you aren't honest, you aren't going to get honest employees.
If you treat your people like children guess what you're going to get?
Click to expand...

This kind of seems like a "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" type of problem. You say it starts with honest leadership, but im my experience, it's been the dishonest tm that comes first. The "yeah, I checked multiple locations for that casepack" or the "I totally didn't punch back in from lunch and sit back down in the break room for another 10 minutes" type of tm existed well before the dishonest leadership. Now, don't get me wrong, I've seen leaders do some pretty shady things to team members and other leaders, but I think the low pay and high (to them) expectations leads to the laziness and dishonesty.
Click to expand...

I don't excuse dishonest TMs for one minute.
Considering the sheer number of people who are hired by Spot there are going to be bad apples.
And I agree that the conditions don't help but I think that diminishes the good TMs who work under the same crap conditions.
The big problem is young ETLs who don't have real management experience and they treat those under them like children giving them half truths because they somehow believe people can't handle the truth.
Or they outright lie because they don't know and don't want to admit it.
 
commiecorvus said:
="PStorm, post: 139510, member: 948"]
commiecorvus said:
Sorry but that was something that absolutely drove me nuts.
I'm an adult as are most of the people working in the store, they deserve to be treated as such.
Leading by example is very much a thing.
If you aren't honest, you aren't going to get honest employees.
If you treat your people like children guess what you're going to get?
Click to expand...

This kind of seems like a "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" type of problem. You say it starts with honest leadership, but im my experience, it's been the dishonest tm that comes first. The "yeah, I checked multiple locations for that casepack" or the "I totally didn't punch back in from lunch and sit back down in the break room for another 10 minutes" type of tm existed well before the dishonest leadership. Now, don't get me wrong, I've seen leaders do some pretty shady things to team members and other leaders, but I think the low pay and high (to them) expectations leads to the laziness and dishonesty.
Click to expand...

I don't excuse dishonest TMs for one minute.
Considering the sheer number of people who are hired by Spot there are going to be bad apples.
And I agree that the conditions don't help but I think that diminishes the good TMs who work under the same crap conditions.
The big problem is young ETLs who don't have real management experience and they treat those under them like children giving them half truths because they somehow believe people can't handle the truth.
Or they outright lie because they don't know and don't want to admit it.
Click to expand...
See, and thats what worries me the most - becuase I can never tell. I've had seasoned ETLs who I've worked with for all of about 2-3 months who I genuinely can't tell if they're lying when I explain things to them. I'm always fearful when I say things like "I know its not set because the labels have different dates on them and they're not as a result of a revision, also none of the smart schematic matches the DPCIs" are they nodding in agreement? or are they nodding in the way that they do to a guest who they think has a trivial complaint and they don't want to piss off? or when I say "that pallet in the transition steel was set two months ago and the POG team hasn't even tried to touch it because the new TL is afraid of the crown" do they think I'm trying to get someone in trouble in a petty fashion? or do they not understand that we need the space for new transition coming in?
 
If the shelf is empty, get it filled up. A br tm would love to that pallet down & out to the floor. Ask the etl, I see some product up in the steel' can I get out? My etl's would say, do it. No product out, no sales.
 
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