Archived Team Leader Business Walks

[GlobalGuy]

Hey Guys!

I am a fairly new GSTL. I promoted back in May to a new store that opened in July. I started in 2009 as an electronics TM, then promoted to GSA a couple months later. That has had me doing GSA for a little over a year, so I'm no stranger to the responsibilities of GSTL (Our store treats GSAs exactly like GSTLs, we just didn't do scheduling and coachings.)

I have done a couple of business walks already, but I was wondering what kind of tips you all may have for me and my Starbucks Team Leader Friend (We are having a business walk party because the execs want us to BS 3 before a humongous visit next week! They waited too long to start having us do them!) Thanks in advance!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Have you done a leader status yet?

 

[GlobalGuy]

Not yet, but they are due next week! I need to get these out of the way then I'm going to use them towards the Leadership Status

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Not yet, but they are due next week! I need to get these out of the way then I'm going to use them towards the Leadership Status

Big thing is get red cards! We stole an idea from another spot & created a red card table for starters! Driving sales, helping tm's do better, sp done, help your walks.

 

[dek067]

i didnt like business walks at first. but they make your status go quicker.

just remember to write every little thing you did for the week and make notes later in the week so they can see the progress you made. include any trainees, coachings, upcoming events that would have an effect on sales, transitions, etc.
make sure your etl signs off on it and makes notes themselves.
you should never have all "delegate, follow up, recognize, or teach" comments. it should be a good mixture. if all you do is delegate, you're not an effective leader. if you own everything, you're not a team player.
partner with hr to get current promotional opportunties. identify someone on your team who is promotable. start working with them. make sure your contribution team members are reflected in your brand walks.

 

[coolcatmom]

I haven't been able to complete a business walk in over a month. In fact, I hardly even get to work with my team. There always seems to be some pressing crisis that requires them to use me in another area. When I tell them I need to do my BW, etc., I get the, "Well, you are going to have to do it another time as we need you to do A, B, or C." speech. Then I get the team work speech, and "your ETL will have to get over it" speech.

Word to the wise, every time you get recognition for anything, write it down and use it on your status.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Don't forget your team too!

 

[abevigoda]

Business Walks are incredibly stupid, as are the Leadership Status and other moronic paperwork. In most stores you don't have time to do them in the first place because you're already over-loaded with tasks due to Target cutting back on positions and doubling everyone's work. Also, what's the point if they don't promote anyone from within? These are just another example of how out-of-touch with reality corporate is.

 

[dek067]

we've had three people promote from within this year. and the store is really pushing for anyone with a degree or experience to go through interviews.

i wasn't on board with business walks, but they honestly take all of five minutes, and it makes your status a snap. i can complete my status in around 30 minutes now, with all my numbers, recognition, and notes. now i'm more concerned with the impact of team alignment and its effects on contribution and team morale than business walks. team alignment seems much more evil.

 

[mrknownothing]

Business Walks = TPS Reports.

View attachment 63

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Dek, I agreed with you that tl alignment is an evil thing.

 

[RedDog]

Its sad the only positive thing we get out of wasting time with paper work like buisness walks is that they help us finish other paper work like status faster. It would be nice if somebody in HQ would take a survey on what people at the store level think about these things.

 

[grillchill]

I have a great deal of work experience. Worked in the financial industry and retail for many years. I notice at Target that the last thing corporate seems to worry about is actually having experienced team members on the sales floor helping guest. As a team leader I have no time to get any of the paperwork like business walks and leadership status complete while I'm on the clock. I can't even get away for 30 minutes to complete my training modules on the computer. The minute I sit down some LOD is calling me on walkie saying they need light duty CAF pushed or reshop has to be done. Sometimes I come in for my shift at 8 am and I'm the only hardlines team member scheduled on the salesfloor until 11-12 o'clock. It's such a "fly by the seat of your pants" operation. Some of the LOD's do nothing on their shifts except check up on team members every 20 minutes and some are great and roll up their sleeves and take on tasks to help get the store in shape.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Welcome to my world!

 

[cihyfthedoor]

I guess I take it for granted that I'm at a $60M store (we're actually middle of the road in our district) with 9 ETLs, 25 TLs and around 250 +/- 25 TMs (large variance because for some reason spot removed the HR Lite report from Store Reports a long time ago). Everything is covered throughout the day, so it leaves me plenty of time to do these things. Although I'd really rather not.

 

[GlobalTL123]

25 TLs at a 60 million dollar store? Did i read that right?

 

[cihyfthedoor]

25 TLs at a 60 million dollar store? Did i read that right?

Give or take a couple. It's been a while since I counted it out. Let's see:

5 Flow (1 more than we are supposed to. One of them was actually made Sr. in 4th quarter one night as an "emergency." No interviews, nothing. Just "Oh, here you go. Here's keys and a couple of extra bucks. You're a Sr. TL now.").
4 Hardlines
2 Softlines
1 Price Change
2 Backroom (one more than we should, although it's really handy having two of us).
1 Instocks
3 GSTL
1 Food Avenue
1 Starbucks
1 Clerical
1 HR TL
1 Plano
2 Market

I think that's all of them. So, 25. Although we're actually over by 2 or 3. We're only supposed to have 1 Backroom and 4 Flow. We you thinking we should have more, or fewer?

 

[greydot]

you have less TMs and more TLs than us

 

[cihyfthedoor]

I'm not quite sure how many TMs we have. I know that back in 2009 we had a little over 300, but we were harboring quite a few TMs from another store that was in the middle of a ground-up remodel. There used to be a really easy way to find this info. Under Store Reports there was a repor called Health Lite or HR Lite or HR Health Lite or something along those lines. It showed the number of TMs working at the store (as well as starting wage and cap for TMs, TLs, average wage for TMs and TLs, and a bunch of other stuff). It disappeared a very long time ago.

 

[GlobalTL123]

My old store was 60million also but we only had 15 team leads, thats why i was amazed. It used to be 25 a few years ago and then they cut TL positions and gave people bigger areas.

 

[Barcode]

Give or take a couple. It's been a while since I counted it out. Let's see:

5 Flow (1 more than we are supposed to. One of them was actually made Sr. in 4th quarter one night as an "emergency." No interviews, nothing. Just "Oh, here you go. Here's keys and a couple of extra bucks. You're a Sr. TL now.").
4 Hardlines
2 Softlines
1 Price Change
2 Backroom (one more than we should, although it's really handy having two of us).
1 Instocks
3 GSTL
1 Food Avenue
1 Starbucks
1 Clerical
1 HR TL
1 Plano
2 Market

I think that's all of them. So, 25. Although we're actually over by 2 or 3. We're only supposed to have 1 Backroom and 4 Flow. We you thinking we should have more, or fewer?

Sounds like ours, except we have 1 BRTL, and i think 4-5 Market TLs (we're a super-t so we have a Bakery TL, Meat TL, etc..)

 

[Rock Lobster]

My old store was 60million also but we only had 15 team leads, thats why i was amazed. It used to be 25 a few years ago and then they cut TL positions and gave people bigger areas.

We are at 23 and are about that in sales at a super target

 

[GuestServiceArtist]

Our previous ETL-GE was not a great manager (though she was always nice to me). She was notorious for not getting things done that were required. Once, one of the other GSAs went to her and said he'd like to complete GSTL business walks too, just as personal development. She said that was great, even though she could never get BWs done with the actual GSTLs. The next the day the GSTL came in and requested to do his business walk but was told by her that she was completing one with the GSA. LOL...

 

[Barcode]

haha thats funny lol.

 

[MrGSTL]

Can I ask what your business/vibe walks look like? Ive been doing the form for a year and have never had a real status with my ETL. We just literally walk in a circle around the checklane and look at endcaps and talk about REDcards. Also, what's the different b/w the leader feedback and the quarterly performance discussion. My ETL doesn't know so we don't do them.