What Qualities Do You Like To See In a SD

[SilentCrow]

Topic.

What do you like to see in a SD?

What do you wish to see more of from a SD?

Is there things you disliked that SDs done in the past that you would advise others to not do?

What’s the best advice you can give someone aspiring or about to take on the SD role?

 

[MrT]

Try and understand why a decision was made even if it was a different decision than you would of made. Work together to find a solution or compromise moving forward.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Stop hiding in their office all day long.

 

[Zxy123456]

I like an SD who will jump in wherever needed. My SD helps drive up a lot. I think he secretly loves it.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Be out on the sales floor and in the back room space often - they need to see what's going on in the store, interact with guests and TMs often.
Don't play favorites - everyone hates it (except the favorites) and it does no one any real good (including the favorites).
Back up your TMs - the guest is not always right, and a good SD will know how to keep the guest happy-ish and not sell out the TM.
Don't be afraid to help (as long as it really is helping and not just getting in the way) - the SDs at my store have pushed freight, jumped on a lane, set end caps, etc.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

I like an SD who will jump in wherever needed. My SD helps drive up a lot. I think he secretly loves it.

My store has an ETL who I think secretly loves demolishing sales planner display pieces. When I was struggling to take one apart enough to get it into the bailer, he told me he'd take care of it. (I've since learned that stomping on them is effective ... and fun.)

 

[RetRobution]

You will be limited in what you can do because even though Target Corporation is constantly evolving to adjust to changing buying habits of consumers, they are slow to adjust to the needs of evolving work force with an antiquated system of management.

 

[commiecorvus]

The SD needs to do their absolute best to keep the shit from dropping on their people from above.
They may not be able to stop it all but they can do their best to sort it out and warn people before it shows up.
Help sort out the shit that is coming up from the bottom, don't assume someone else will handle it.
Communicate with their people regularly and often.
Let everyone know they are appreciated and have value.
Don't be an asshole.

 

[redeye58]

Like an SD we once had who was always on the floor, would jump into a cart roundup with the best of them, pushed freight during peak times, didn't give out faint praise but would mean it when they gave it, pushed their teams hard but rewarded them with lots of catering, most importantly they backed their people & would listen to guests but wouldn't cave to unreasonable demands.
Of course, they got promoted & we lost a good thing.

 

[NotCynicalYet]

One thing I like are blitzes or whatever people call them, where all available tm's break away from what they are doing and jump in to accomplish some goal quickly. I feel like these are good for awareness of what's going on in the store and team spirit, and are fun because it gets people talking and laughing together while getting something done.

 

[rd123]

One thing I like are blitzes or whatever people call them, where all available tm's break away from what they are doing and jump in to accomplish some goal quickly. I feel like these are good for awareness of what's going on in the store and team spirit, and are fun because it gets people talking and laughing together while getting something done.

Not done anymore at our store .

 

[qmosqueen]

Only accept trucks that can fit per square footage of the store. It’s useless to back stock to the ceiling one day to pull that item the next day or 2 days later.

 

[redeye58]

We did blitzes for carts or pushing Uboats & yeah, it put everyone on the same page.

 

[SigningLady]

One thing I like are blitzes or whatever people call them, where all available tm's break away from what they are doing and jump in to accomplish some goal quickly. I feel like these are good for awareness of what's going on in the store and team spirit, and are fun because it gets people talking and laughing together while getting something done.

I've always loathed these- it's a cringey time for those trained in Plano because of the chaos it often creates. It gets a task done quickly, but it doesn't always get it done right. I'd always spend more time fixing things than actually doing the blitz. I think it can make sense within a dept, but not storewide anymore.
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A great SD will make an attempt to connect with everyone on the team so everyone feels seen and heard.
Offering explanations for changes can go a long way in getting the team on board faster. It gives them a bigger picture of how what they do affects everything else.
Accountability. From leaders on down and also from the SD. I've had SDs who are really in tune with what is happening on the floor & with clear and expectations and others who have had zero clue and therefore zero accountability. It makes a BIG difference in how efficient/effective the store runs.

 

[jenna]

One thing I like are blitzes or whatever people call them, where all available tm's break away from what they are doing and jump in to accomplish some goal quickly. I feel like these are good for awareness of what's going on in the store and team spirit, and are fun because it gets people talking and laughing together while getting something done.

hated those.

 

[MrT]

Blitzes or whatever can be an effective way to get freight out. We have done it for seasonal since the area usually gets set in one to 2 days but there is a large amount of pallets that need to be pushed quickly. 20 people for 30 minutes can kill 6 or however many pallets that would otherwise take a TM all day. I wouldn't do it every day but a well planned push party can make a huge difference.

 

[Yetive]

I know that most people think HR should be the nice, friendly people person, but really, it should be the SD. Get to know a little bit about each of them. That really goes a long way.

Staying positive while not blowing smoke up the teams ass is also a great skill to have.

 

[Unleashed Dog]

Realism.

 

[Captain Orca]

My original STL SD would throw cardboard, haul pallets, gather carts and had open ears. I liked the guy. He left.

 

[Captain Orca]

My original STL SD would throw cardboard, haul pallets, gather carts and had open ears. I liked the guy. He left.

 

[SilentCrow]

A ton of good things here. I too think being realistic, relating to the team, and explaining the why behind things helps.

 

[MrT]

A ton of good things here. I too think being realistic, relating to the team, and explaining the why behind things helps.

Realistic is the key word. People will tell you what you expect is unrealistic but in reality with proper planning and execution it is possible. Clear expectations go a long way. On the other side of things just because it can be done also doesn't mean it's sustainable or possible all the time.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

I would say be the kind of SD that you wish your SD would be. We had a great one, fair, honest, genuine, and who backed up the team members and kept the ETLs in line. He actually cared about the team and had a lot of free food events, sometimes he grilled hot dogs and hamburgers himself. He also did freight, built fixtures, made bales and showed the team what it meant to work, not hide in an office all day. Our SD also knew the business from top to bottom and inside out and his door was always open (Our ETL-HR was the same way). Of course we lost them both.🙁
The thing I disliked in an SD, or any leader, is the Barbie/Ken doll type who is really phony and insincere, with that fake smile for everyone who does nothing for anyone, and that drinking the kool-aid positive attitude while everything is going to hell around them, looking for someone to blame instead of looking for solutions, and Heaven Forbid they have to come out of their office to get their hands dirty once a year. We had one of those, too.🙄

 

[MrT]

I would say be the kind of SD that you wish your SD would be. We had a great one, fair, honest, genuine, and who backed up the team members and kept the ETLs in line. He actually cared about the team and had a lot of free food events, sometimes he grilled hot dogs and hamburgers himself. He also did freight, built fixtures, made bales and showed the team what it meant to work, not hide in an office all day. Our SD also knew the business from top to bottom and inside out and his door was always open (Our ETL-HR was the same way). Of course we lost them both.🙁
The thing I disliked in an SD, or any leader, is the Barbie/Ken doll type who is really phony and insincere, with that fake smile for everyone who does nothing for anyone, and that drinking the kool-aid positive attitude while everything is going to hell around them, looking for someone to blame instead of looking for solutions, and Heaven Forbid they have to come out of their office to get their hands dirty once a year. We had one of those, too.🙄

This is my biggest problem with my current SD. Zero awareness and doesn't step foot in the backroom. He told me we have 20 hours of work left over once because he counted the uboats and pallets and he did the math at 3 uboats an hour and 1 hour per pallet of repacks. Where he got that from idk because that's probably the most unrealistic thing I ever heard. I told him I can actually get the numbers for you if you want so he doesn't have to estimate and he said no its close enough. He offers zero solutions and won't work with anyone to create one. Just has wild expectations and blames everyone for everything not finished.

 

[can't touch this]

good/gr8 SDs are

- willing to jump in wherever help is needed, for example if picks are behind they jump in to help the fulfillment team rather than bitching them out over the walkie from the office

- humorous and easygoing, as they are compensated more than enough to afford a thick skin

- common sense havers, pragmatic, flexible, not brainless throat goats for corporate

- wont to make it rain with the hours, aren’t afraid to “overspend“ payroll when there’s a whole ass $50,000,000,000 to play with, are even less afraid to approve overtime even in the Q1 doldrums

- aware that successful credit applications are entirely dependent upon the guest’s credit score, which the front end TMs have zero control over and are thus not berated because a guest with a credit score of ~420 and a job that pays tenbux an hour couldn‘t/wouldn’t sign up for 30% compound interest

- absolute madlads/madlasses with the 549 account or whatever they call it these days, never not loading the breakroom tables with donuts, pizza, and subs for their teams who delivered the very green metrics which allow them to continue earning $100,000 a year plus bonuses

- cool enough to keep poasting on TBR for more tips and tricks to keep their store running smoothly no matter how hard corp tries to rough it up