Archived I need some advice!

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SrTeamLeader

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Is anyone dealing with “perception” issues? I’ve had numerous “complaints” that I’m not present in my workcenter. I’m a Senior Team Leader who is GSTL and I have anywhere from 4-5 LOD shifts a week. That clearly doesn’t leave many shifts in my workcenter. I have so many LOD shifts and the one night a week I’m GSTL I have to do the schedule so I HAVE to be offstage for that. I haven’t figured out how to key edits while speedweaving.

I’m sick and tired of cashiers bad mouthing me behind my back because they think that when I’m not at the lanes I’m in the office with my feet up. They’ve also started questioning everything I do, including when I take my breaks. It probably doesn’t help that the TL team all hates me and joins in.. But that is all a story for a different day 🙂 You haven't seen culture issues until you've worked here.

Is my store setting me up for failure? Any advice on what I can do to manage this? Just a little bit of my history. I’ve been with the company for 6 years as a TL. 4 as a Senior TL. I transferred to this store about a year ago. To the best of my knowledge I’m not a bottom performer. Although, sometimes that does tend to sneak up on you. 🙂
 
Stupid question....when you do have a GSTL shift, do you have your PDA on and answer cashier calls in a timely manner? If you ever leave them hanging, they will immediately start questioning you.
 
I would say my team respects me they just don't understand my role. Most of them think I'm another ETL and I've tried to explain so many times what I do and what my position means. They still get confused when they see me using the time clock. For the most part I feel like I have a good relationship with the cashiers, even the ones that give me a hard time, so I don't know what else I can do. I feel like I answer their calls and questions in a timely manner. If I ever step off stage, take break or even use the restroom I have someone take a set of keys and an LPDA to keep an eye on things. It's gotten so bad that when I'm GSTL if I need to use the restroom I'll just wait until break or lunch or the end of my shift to avoid having someone question where I'm going.

I have one GSTL peer and everyone goes to her with questions or concerns. They always ask me when she'll be working next and I always respond with "Maybe I can help you with something?" and then they ask a question and 9 times out of 10 I answer it or fix the problem on the spot. They shouldn't have any reasons to not trust/respect me but maybe they do. But then again, if they have a question and I'm LOD they're fine talking to me. I'm so confused.
 
I don't know anything really about gstl routines, but I can see where perception is a big part of the problem. All I ever see, is the GSTL leaning against the jewelry boat, and calling for backups if the lanes start to get busy. I'm like yo you ain't doin' nothin, start hoppin on lanes, DO the takeouts, and BE that person that is available to go get carts from the lot.

Like I said, this may be all an ignorant person sees.
 
We have a GSTL who is also a SrTL who mainly does LOD stuff. It's taken me a bit to get used to the fact that I can go to her as well as the GSTL who only does GSTL stuff. It's absolutely nothing against her. I just don't see her in that position enough to get that she is more than someone who pops into that role every now and then. I can't explain it. It isn't anything against her (save for the fact she is never logged into the PDA). It's just...different....because she doesn't GSTL much and I don't get a chance to see her in the role she plays in that.
 
That very well could be what the issue is right now for me. They just don't see me enough in my GSTL role to view me as someone they can trust. I definitely DO NOT lean on anything when I'm GSTL. Most of my time is spent speedweaving or just talking with my team and trying to get to know them. If there really is just nothing for me to do, which isn't often give the volume of our store, I will zone trading cards or even fold tables in girls.

I'm on my mini pre 4th quarter, so I don't become a newspaper headline for punching guest, vacation so I'm taking some time to reflect on this and see what I can do when I get back. I know most of this probably comes from the culture problems in my store but I would like to be a part of the team that changes things.
 
Why do you have so many LOD shifts a week? This confuses me because we have a SrTL and he only does a half of an LOD shift every two weeks. Otherwise we always have an ETL.
 
redandkhaki said:
Why do you have so many LOD shifts a week? This confuses me because we have a SrTL and he only does a half of an LOD shift every two weeks. Otherwise we always have an ETL.
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Most likely an ULV store. My store has a similar LOD schedule which requires a lot from the SrTLs.
 
that's what i thought until she mentioned the volume of her store and it made it seem like it wasn't an ULV. A GSTL cannot be a SrTL in my store. Our SrTL was a GSTL and they moved him because he got the position which is weird since they don't really do any LOD shifts anyways. i said earlier that he does one half shift every two weeks but it's actually two. He opens with flow every other weekend as the LOD and then once the early ETL gets there they're LOD. During 4th quarter when we go overnight he does more LOD shifts but not during the rest of the year.
 
Ya that sounds like alot of LOD shifts. I am guessing you are LOD more than everyone else on the leadership team? or would i be wrong?
 
pfreshdude said:
Ya that sounds like alot of LOD shifts. I am guessing you are LOD more than everyone else on the leadership team? or would i be wrong?
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i honestly feel like it's just way too many. If i was given that many LOD shifts as a gstl i would challenge them about it. The one day you're a gstl you do the schedule? You aren't really a gstl then.
 
We are by no means low volume. I would like to say I have a high number of LOD shifts due to weird circumstances like LOA's and vacations but in reality even when those things aren't going on I still only have my week night closing shift and my rotating weekend. Right now I'm LOD on my rotating weekend too due to scheduling problems so I really do have only my closing week night. My closing GSTL night is being at the lanes until 6, doing the schedule until 7, huddle at 7, lunch at 7:15, back on the floor from 8:30 until 9:45, break, then closing the lanes. So I mean, if that is my only shift I can see where the issue is. I guess I've just been thinking the entire time it was me or my leadership style but maybe it's just a poor schedule.

I don't know much about the last Senior TL at my store.. I'm sure they had one before me but I've never heard anything about them.
 
You will be ok. Cashiers may think you are untouchable now. But, don't let them control you. Be proactive & strong, keep on doing what you are doing. Lead your team & help them when needed.
 
SrTeamLeader said:
I don't know much about the last Senior TL at my store.. I'm sure they had one before me but I've never heard anything about them.
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I asked whether there was a former SrTL because I was wondering why you seem to feel the need to keep explaining your role to TMs. That would make some sense if the idea of a SrTL was new to everyone at your store and you were just trying to help them understand it, but you shouldn't need to keep defending yourself to others. I'm sure the other TLs at your store and the ETLs aren't explaining their roles on a regular basis. I agree with HLM--do your job with confidence and let those who don't get it worry about themselves. I think it's great that you want to have a strong relationship with your team but no matter what you do there's always going to be someone who not on board you can't let their attitudes define you. You are in an awkward role and have no true peers at your store as you are not just regular TL but not an ETL either. Are there SrTLs at nearby Targets you might be to reach out to for advice?
 
i would challenge as to why i'm working so many LOD shifts. How are you suppose to lead a team if you're never with your team?
 
Retail Girl said:
Wait...is it odd that my store has the same number (if not more) SrTLs than ETLs?
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No. Same with me. We have 3 ETLs, 3 SrTLs, and the STL. I'm guessing you're ULV, no? It just means the store isn't allocated as many ETLs, so they have more SrTL to cover the LOD shifts.
 
redandkhaki said:
dang, only 3 ETLS? It's so crazy how different stores are to each other!
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Isn't it? I've worked in much higher volumes too. I wish Target would learn that a high volume store can't be run the same way as a low volume store. I suppose if they changed how ULV were run, they'd *lose* some of their high profitability, which is probably the only thing we have going for us!

**correction
 
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ISIS639 said:
Isn't it? I've worked in much higher volumes too. I wish Target would learn that a high volume store can't be run the same way as a low volume store. I suppose if they changed how ULV were run, they'd some of their high profitability, which is probably the only thing we have going for us!
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we have 9 ETL's and 15 team leads.. that's just crazy to think of how few ETL's you have.
 
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