After 4 years my last day will be March 10th. Target was my first job, I started my freshman year of college as a seasonal team member. I've worked in every workcenter minus guest service, cart attendant, food ave, and softlines. A year in, I interviewed for the TL bench and waited for half a year before getting placed. My first role was a Backroom and Instocks TL, back when Instocks meant something, before it was trimmed to the bone and viewed as an archaic process that not many understand these days. Within another 6 months I was promoted to Sr.TL, I loved the position and the leadership qualities I gained from it are something I will always be grateful for. I often read through the posts and chat on here that discuss the issues and changes they've seen over the last few years that had lead to them leaving. For me, I can truly say I can trace it back to the change in ETL's we experienced a few years ago. My original group of ETL's were "lifers", they had started out as TM's, worked their way up, and through that they brought years of experience and knowledge with them. They had adapted to the ever changing landscape of targets requirements.
They taught me everything I know and fostered a culture of accountability and growth. I was still a Sr.TL when they left. The leadership team that replaced them were fresh out of college or entirely new to target/retail. It became apparent that the shoes of their predecessors would not be filled easily. It was not for a lack of effort, I can tell you that many of them worked 10-12 hour days, the knowledge and training just weren't there. Within months I became the "go-to" leader, I was the only one who had the answers to most questions. If I had a day off, I would receive countless texts asking what to do, how to do this or that, and if I could come in to fix something. About 6 months in, I realized I never could step away. I was always "on". Around this time I was placed on the ETL bench with a time-frame of less then 6 months. AE2016 and AE2017 changed that.
A month ago I made the decision that it was now or never. Over the years I've had plenty of recruiters try and poach me, whether it was for the competition or a field closer to my degree. On a whim, I responded to one and that led me to this point. My team finds out today that I am leaving. I'm truly sad, I've hired every single one of my team members personally. I've watched them progress through college, go through personal hardships, and turn to me for advice. I've helped them with papers, with homework, with preparations for interviews they've had in their field. My workcenters are solid green and they love coming to work each day, knowing they're working among not only friends, but the best our district has to offer. I can truly say out of all of my accomplishments through target, they're the one thing I will always be proud of.
I apologize for the long rant and emotional good bye. I know many of my peers and team members read this site daily. I'm sure many of them know my username at this point. I'd like to wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavors, whether it is with Target or something entirely different. It has been my pleasure to work alongside you for these last 4 years and I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to work alonside each and every one of you.
-Dekaf
They taught me everything I know and fostered a culture of accountability and growth. I was still a Sr.TL when they left. The leadership team that replaced them were fresh out of college or entirely new to target/retail. It became apparent that the shoes of their predecessors would not be filled easily. It was not for a lack of effort, I can tell you that many of them worked 10-12 hour days, the knowledge and training just weren't there. Within months I became the "go-to" leader, I was the only one who had the answers to most questions. If I had a day off, I would receive countless texts asking what to do, how to do this or that, and if I could come in to fix something. About 6 months in, I realized I never could step away. I was always "on". Around this time I was placed on the ETL bench with a time-frame of less then 6 months. AE2016 and AE2017 changed that.
A month ago I made the decision that it was now or never. Over the years I've had plenty of recruiters try and poach me, whether it was for the competition or a field closer to my degree. On a whim, I responded to one and that led me to this point. My team finds out today that I am leaving. I'm truly sad, I've hired every single one of my team members personally. I've watched them progress through college, go through personal hardships, and turn to me for advice. I've helped them with papers, with homework, with preparations for interviews they've had in their field. My workcenters are solid green and they love coming to work each day, knowing they're working among not only friends, but the best our district has to offer. I can truly say out of all of my accomplishments through target, they're the one thing I will always be proud of.
I apologize for the long rant and emotional good bye. I know many of my peers and team members read this site daily. I'm sure many of them know my username at this point. I'd like to wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavors, whether it is with Target or something entirely different. It has been my pleasure to work alongside you for these last 4 years and I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to work alonside each and every one of you.
-Dekaf
