I'm losing my team and I don't know what to do.

[happygoth]

@CartoonPenguin is that you?

Best of luck my dude. Polish up the ol' resume because I have a sneaking suspicion papa's about to get bumped.

The pink slip. The stinky boot. The don't-let-the-door-hit-ya if you get my drift.

The fact that both of us have called this out (me on the other thread) and both the OP and @CartoonPenguin have ignored it makes me think it definitely is lol.

 

[ohcomeon]

I think they’re saying that an improvement in culture will is an improvement in morale, which should help motivate the team internally and give you the ability to motivate them externally without them wanting to quit.

Just to emphasize another point that other people have made - try to work alongside your team. Go push a u-boat with them. Pushing with them will help you gain their respect because you’re helping them out and you will be able to see exactly what they’re doing wrong and what they’re doing right. Maybe they aren’t moving fast enough. Maybe they are physically moving fast, but they aren’t doing things efficiently. Maybe things aren’t sorted. Maybe they consistently find defective things that they need to take care of, or some other weird issue slows them down and it’s something that is normal for them, but you haven’t experienced it.

Just to be clear - push WITH them, not for them. Don’t push by yourself; you can’t lead that way.

I’ve already mentioned that I don’t have the freedom to push where I want. My ETL has her instructions for me and I just do what I’m told.

 

[ohcomeon]

The fact that both of us have called this out (me on the other thread) and both the OP and @CartoonPenguin have ignored it makes me think it definitely is lol.

No, I just have other legitimate things to worry about instead of some troll account.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

So I'm the one who gets fired because others aren't coming clean? If my Toy DBO is failing to meet his goals, then it's him who should be fired, not me.

But if you aren’t documenting conversations with the toy dbo to get him performanced out, you will be performanced out. The store I left had all but 3 tls quit and all but 1 etl quit in the last year. The etls started dropping like flies when they realized they had to start all over with new tls and realized they were screwed.

 

[Xanatos]

I’ve already mentioned that I don’t have the freedom to push where I want. My ETL has her instructions for me and I just do what I’m told.

That sucks. If your ETL wants you to fix problems, she needs to let you figure out what the problems are. She's sending you in blind, telling you to yell at your team without enough information.

 

[Tacopie]

I'm a GMTL who was promoted from GM Team member. The long story short is that my GM team doesn't like that my SD and GM ETL have started to become more strict about enforcing freight push goals. Me and other leaders have been keeping an extra close eye on the team in terms how long it takes for them to do their one-for-one's, when they start push, and how long they spend on a given vehicle.

To give a more thorough picture, I'll explain what's been going on the past few days. Back on Saturday, I had a conversation with my Toys DBO and I brought up that he hasn't been meeting his push goal time and that he's been leaving a lot of leftover freight. I was especially on him since I'm confident in him being our store's best DBO who's been here for many several years and is usually reliable in terms of push, but I've just noticed that he hasn't been keeping up lately. He explained to me that he's burnt out and he openly told me that he's looking for a new job. He also said that he's been talking with other GM TM's and he's ascertained that they're feeling burnt out and overworked as well. He then goes on to tell me that this new rule with enforcing goal times is pissing off a lot of people and that the store is running the risk of losing a lot of team members in the coming months, specifically the long time veterans who have been here for years.

He also went on this giant tangent about how "arbitrary" that goal times are and how they don't take into account things like guest service, backing up other parts of the store, and just general limits on the human body. He also had another tangent about how TM's who promote to TL's are "sell outs" and that they get too wrapped up in the "Team Lead bubble" and forget about what it's like to be an actual DBO. He also told me that he liked me better as a regular TM and he told me that I should also start looking for a new job and that Target is on a downward trajectory. He had a lot that he clearly wanted to get off his chest and I let him vent. It was a conversation that had me slightly worried, but now I can't help but be just plain terrified right now.

I came into work today and my chem DBO called on the phone. He didn't just call out, but he also quit right there on the phone, no notice. On top of that, I overheard a conversation between my Kitchen and Stationary DBO's about how they're fed up with the workload and that they're both looking for new jobs. My zone defender for domestics snapped at me about feeling overworked and underappreciated, and I'm 99% certain that my pets DBO left early before the end of his shift today.

I brought all of this up to my GM ETL at the end of my shift and I was expecting her to have my back, but she instead got strict and gave a really ominous warning. She told me that if we start losing all of these bodies soon, then I'm going to have a reputation among ETL's as the GMTL who drove away all of our best and longest tenured TM's. I was trying really hard to hold my tongue and not snap at her that I've just been doing what she's been telling me to do in terms of enforcing the goal time. I'm just in a frustrated and even scared mood right now. I'm clearly losing the room for GM and I don't know what else can be done.

 

[Formerplano]

The goal times in Greenfield don’t include walking back and forth from the back room or backstockinh or cardboard. It’s only the time spent opening boxes and setting the product on the shelf.

I don't want to derail this thread but where did you get this information from? My TL is always on me about goal times and I think they are impossible to meet. This makes so much more sense now and I don't think my TL is aware of this.

To actually add to this thread. Nothing bothers me more than when I have 7 uboats on the line and my TL comes up and tells me my truck time is 2 hours. I have to stop myself from laughing every time. But they don't listen to me when I explain that I can't finish that amount of work in the time that they give me. Actually listening to your TMs can go a long way. Even if there is nothing you can actively do to fix whatever the situation is. Truly listening helps. It sucks to talk to a TL or ETL and you can tell they don't hear a word you are saying.

 

[Fluttervale]

I'm at the mercy of my ETL. I go where she tells me to go and that's as much as I can do.

Are you walking your department and touching base with your team? One thing I see new leaders do is assume that direction from the ETL is tasks for them, when they can put those tasks on the team instead. If the ETL asks you to zone toys, you put a TM zoning toys.

I don't want to derail this thread but where did you get this information from? My TL is always on me about goal times and I think they are impossible to meet. This makes so much more sense now and I don't think my TL is aware of this.

To actually add to this thread. Nothing bothers me more than when I have 7 uboats on the line and my TL comes up and tells me my truck time is 2 hours. I have to stop myself from laughing every time. But they don't listen to me when I explain that I can't finish that amount of work in the time that they give me. Actually listening to your TMs can go a long way. Even if there is nothing you can actively do to fix whatever the situation is. Truly listening helps. It sucks to talk to a TL or ETL and you can tell they don't hear a word you are saying.

It’s a combination of being told that by various people in the company and knowledge of the general industry standards. The goal times aren’t based on how far away the item is from the back room (because that is nearly impossible to track) or how much backstock you will have because the system can’t know that either.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

I don't want to derail this thread but where did you get this information from? My TL is always on me about goal times and I think they are impossible to meet. This makes so much more sense now and I don't think my TL is aware of this.

To actually add to this thread. Nothing bothers me more than when I have 7 uboats on the line and my TL comes up and tells me my truck time is 2 hours. I have to stop myself from laughing every time. But they don't listen to me when I explain that I can't finish that amount of work in the time that they give me. Actually listening to your TMs can go a long way. Even if there is nothing you can actively do to fix whatever the situation is. Truly listening helps. It sucks to talk to a TL or ETL and you can tell they don't hear a word you are saying.

Because if the freight doesn’t get done in the time hq sets they will get performanced out. They are held accountable just as much as you. My last sd fired 5 etls within a year and used those rediculous reasons for the firings. But could never offer suggestions on how to meet the goals.

 

[ohcomeon]

Are you walking your department and touching base with your team? One thing I see new leaders do is assume that direction from the ETL is tasks for them, when they can put those tasks on the team instead. If the ETL asks you to zone toys, you put a TM zoning toys.

It’s a combination of being told that by various people in the company and knowledge of the general industry standards. The goal times aren’t based on how far away the item is from the back room (because that is nearly impossible to track) or how much backstock you will have because the system can’t know that either.

My ETL will assign me things like sales planners or price change and she’ll specifically emphasize me doing whatever tasks she lays out.

 

[Fluttervale]

My ETL will assign me things like sales planners or price change and she’ll specifically emphasize me doing whatever tasks she lays out.

Pay attention to what she assigns you and try to have it done before she asks. That will give you time to connect with your team and move things around. For example, have your team pull and put up price change first thing in the morning before she gets there.

 

[C8581]

So I'm the one who gets fired because others aren't coming clean? If my Toy DBO is failing to meet his goals, then it's him who should be fired, not me.

Don't forget yall are a TEAM.... Our goals

 

[RWTM]

if you want your team to respect you and want to stay onboard, have their backs. Shield them from the bullshit and help facilitate them getting their work done.

💯

 

[Coqui]

My ETL will assign me things like sales planners or price change and she’ll specifically emphasize me doing whatever tasks she lays out.

You need to start demonstrating some courage and respectfully push back. You’re not able to lead that way. You might as well just be a TM since you’re completing PC or whatever task your ETL is assigning. Gather some facts, observations, and any other information that you have to explain what’s going on with your work center and your team. You’re doing your team and yourself a disservice by not addressing this issue. These conversations are not always the most comfortable to be in, but they are necessary at times. Who knows, this might help influence a change of approach with your ETL and it’ll show that you understand the business at a higher scoop and it’ll definitely make life a little easier for your team.

 

[StaticSun]

@CartoonPenguin is that you?

Best of luck my dude. Polish up the ol' resume because I have a sneaking suspicion papa's about to get bumped.

The pink slip. The stinky boot. The don't-let-the-door-hit-ya if you get my drift.

Wow, you read my mind!

CLOSED!