Archived How To Become a Team Lead

[redeye58]

It ain't easy out there.........

Not according to SOT.

 

[FrontEndSavant]

At the store I'm currently at and at the one I used to work at, starting pay for TLs is $18 per hour, O/N is $19 (includes $1 differential)

Reading that makes me want to chug a Clorox smoothie

 

[pzychopopgroove]

Reading that makes me want to chug a Clorox smoothie

18 an hour, for starting TL? Yeah, I call bull****.

 

[HardlinesFour]

Reading that makes me want to chug a Clorox smoothie

Same.

Target started me with $14 a hour for the APTL Position, eventually giving me a $1 raise..

I would love to hear more about this $18 a hour position.. I'm wrong for jumping ship then.

 

[mtggrafik]

I have a 4 year degree, found work in my field. Quit that job, tried to move up at Target, which was my 2nd job at the time. Failed at getting the TL position ;\ FML lol
4th quarter trucks have started, we have 3 TLs for O/N, GG.

 

[pzychopopgroove]

Reading that makes me want to chug a Clorox smoothie

Amanda Todd already did that.

 

[StateofTarget]

Same.

Target started me with $14 a hour for the APTL Position, eventually giving me a $1 raise..

I would love to hear more about this $18 a hour position.. I'm wrong for jumping ship then.

The only $18+/hour TLs come from two groups:

1. ETLs who were demoted to TLs when the degree requirement came into full effect. (99% of these people are gone today)

2. TL's who have been with the company for 10+ years and were around when Target actually gave out big raises.

New TLs? Lucky to break $13/hour tops except in exceptionally high cost of living areas.

 

[pfreshdude]

Lol..... I think you need to realize that TL is not *that* big of a deal. I know, I was one for years.

What did I do differently from a TM? Not much. I still zoned, worked stray, etc.

IMO, the main difference between a TL and TM is accountability..... not "authority".

What do I mean for that? TLs own departments. That means you are accountable if anything goes wrong. For example, lets say I was on vacation for a week. While I was gone, toys goes completely to ****. I had nothing to do with it - I was off. Think that matters? Nope. The second I clock in, an ETL would be on my ass about it.... and if I didn't fix whatever the issues were, even if I had nothing to do with causing them, my ass was getting written up.

Now, if you are a TM, does that happen? Hell no. TMs are accountable for nothing unless *they directly cause* the problem. If you walk in the door as a TM, is an ETL going to be on your ass about domestics when you haven't worked in domestics for a whole week? Absolutely not.

That - IMO - is the key difference between a TM and a TL. TL's are forced to worry about specific parts of the store no matter what. There is basically no excuse. If your department has issues, your ass is on the line even if you had nothing to do with causing the problems. As a TM, you basically are accountable for nothing that you didn't cause to be wrong in the first place.

As far as authority goes? TLs have a few token "powers". Yea, we could tell TMs to go work on a task.... but honestly, that was about it. Everything else we had to partner with an ETL with when it came to "authority" for the most part.

IMO - this definitely does not warrant requiring a 4 year degree for TLs. That is a complete joke. Now, if Target gave TLs actual authority - like, for example, the ability to terminate a TMs employment - then *that* would warrant needing a degree. Why? Because a TL that screws up (i.e. fires someone with a racial reason) is risking the entire business. Obviously, you want someone educated who likely is going to know better than doing something stupid like that. As it stands right now, TLs are really not in a position to do much damage to the company as a whole.

Also - no one with a 4 year degree is going to work for the pay/benefits a TL has. Absolutely no one.

This is pretty much spot on. Most TLs dont even have a "team" to work with. My CTL never works with myself or the other PA. We might have some overlap here and there but basically its just communication on what needs to be done for the weekend or the night shift and thats it, not actually working side by side or at the same time. Any salesfloor TLs are basically glorified TMs in my opinion. Seems they do even less than I do. Basically just put out clearance, work CAFs, work Reshop, have their status and thats about it. Plano does all the sets, I rarely see any TL setting up an endcap. They dont do research, and they rarely ever have an actual team to lead as the real leader is the LOD. Honestly you could probably eliminate half the TL positions at our store and just have TMs with high potential slide in and be just fine.