Archived Youngest leadership in your store?

[Bullseyerc]

We have a 19 year old GSA and a 21 year old GSTL currently. The 19 year old does better than the 21 year old.

 

[SFSFun]

If you're counting GSA as leadership, we've had a 16 year old. Though she's now a softlines brand TM.

Most of our TLs are mid 20s.

 

[Bullseyerc]

If you're counting GSA as leadership, we've had a 16 year old. Though she's now a softlines brand TM.

Most of our TLs are mid 20s.

I definitely treat my GSAs as leadership (as does the rest of my team). I was in that position before promoting to GSTL so I know what it's like. But wow 16?! That's crazy. I wonder how alcohol overrides worked for that GSA.. Was she demoted?

 

[Yetive]

GSA 18, GSTL 19.

 

[HRZone]

I definitely treat my GSAs as leadership (as does the rest of my team). I was in that position before promoting to GSTL so I know what it's like. But wow 16?! That's crazy. I wonder how alcohol overrides worked for that GSA.. Was she demoted?

Remember some stores don't sell alcohol.

My store would never hire a minor for a lead position since legally they cannot close or open in my state.

Our ETL Log is a 24 year old female who looks 16. Our last ETL Log was like a 40 year old man so it's a big difference LOL

 

[BRHooligan]

I'm the youngest TL at my store at 22.

 

[theanimal]

At my store, almost all the TLs and ETLs are in their 20's including our STL. A very few are over 30

 

[SFSFun]

I definitely treat my GSAs as leadership (as does the rest of my team). I was in that position before promoting to GSTL so I know what it's like. But wow 16?! That's crazy. I wonder how alcohol overrides worked for that GSA.. Was she demoted?

I don't think we actually had any cashiers under 18 so it wasn't really an issue. And no she wasn't demoted. I think the move was viewed as a step up.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

GSA 18, GSTL 19

 

[glo]

We have an ETL of that's 22.

 

[Doglover89]

GSA, 19 and GSTL, 20.

 

[pinkp2ie]

GSA 19, SBUX TL 20

 

[Targetcar]

My first ETL position I was 23second position I was 25 and an STL by 27. Promoted after STL at 28. In my first district the majority of us ETLs were recent college grads, second district us STLs were all late 20s early 30s and my most recent position we were all in our late 20s early30s in my group.

 

[phibot]

I'm within a week of my ETL HR..one of us though I dont remember which one exactly

 

[Goliad]

I started being a GSA as soon as I hit 18 and could close, and we have a new food team leader that is 23 but all team leads and etls are under 30 at my store

 

[LUR99]

Youngest TL is mid-late twenties. All other leads and ETLs are in their 30's and 40's.

 

[Doglover89]

haha Now how about oldest leadership?
STL: 50+
ETLs: most are 30-40ish
TLs: oldest is 50+
GSA: oldest is 50+

 

[boobooduck]

@Targetcar- Whereas I am sure you are deserving of your promotions, this is the problem with Target and leadership. I have met some really nice 20 something leaders but let's face it, who cares about nice? In reality, a 20/30 year old cannot lead a group of people for various reasons including 1) older employees disregard your comments solely on your age, 2) you 'haven't been there, done that' (you have 5 years exp, they have decades), 3) you are perceived as a 'baby' by guests and 4) most of your workers view you as a 'friend' not as an authority figure. I am sure there are examples where we have some great 25/30 year old ETLs/STLs but I also believe my comments above ring true for most stores.

Oldest leader is a TL in mid-50s and all older TMs respect her-why? B/c they have been through corporate changes over and over and over and over. After a while, they say it's a cycle and you either jump off the cycle or stay on the cycle to start fresh.

 

[DoWork]

What the hell? Any leadership at my store is old. Youngest TL there is would be the 32 year old. TLS are mid 30s and up, ETLs are (all but one) over 40.

 

[HRZone]

We don't have a single ETL over 29
We have one TL in her 50s but most are in their 30s.

I disagree that young people can't lead a team. My ETL HR is in her 20s and everyone loves and respects her.

 

[Sanzano]

I feel like it depends on the geographical area...I'm sure some have enough hiring options to go for the younger leadership (which I think is targets preference) but otherwise they 'settle' for more mature folk. One way to do business I guess.

 

[softlinessgal]

19 y/o electronics tl and usually our tl's and gsa/gstls are below 30

 

[Targetcar]

@Targetcar- Whereas I am sure you are deserving of your promotions, this is the problem with Target and leadership. I have met some really nice 20 something leaders but let's face it, who cares about nice? In reality, a 20/30 year old cannot lead a group of people for various reasons including 1) older employees disregard your comments solely on your age, 2) you 'haven't been there, done that' (you have 5 years exp, they have decades), 3) you are perceived as a 'baby' by guests and 4) most of your workers view you as a 'friend' not as an authority figure. I am sure there are examples where we have some great 25/30 year old ETLs/STLs but I also believe my comments above ring true for most stores.

Oldest leader is a TL in mid-50s and all older TMs respect her-why? B/c they have been through corporate changes over and over and over and over. After a while, they say it's a cycle and you either jump off the cycle or stay on the cycle to start fresh.

I actually do completely agree with you. I did however work in the back room all throughout college just for some extra cash and experience and was asked to apply for the internship and that's kind of how everything took off for me. I think I got extremely lucky with my first ETL position and had an amazing STL to guide me. He was with the company for almost 30 years at that point and if it weren't for him I don't think I would have made it as far as I did. He was on the floor as much as possible and I think that is another reason I kept climbing. When I became an STL I was always told how amazing it was that I was on the floor and helping with things that many times STLs try to avoid. I introduced my team to midday zoning which apparently was unheard of at my store and made sure I was out on the floor doing it with everyone else and not locked in my office. I hate bragging about it but I was a pretty fucking good STL and I think 85% of that was because of my team- if it were not for their respect and hard work, our store wouldn't have been able to succeed and accomplish the many things it did which goes hand in hand with me not being able to succeed and accomplish many things or promotions.
My final position was a total eye opener. Same region different group. It was a different world and everything you are describing is what I saw. I constantly constantly saw people being promoted as well as being held back for convenience purposes. I saw awful- I mean AWFUL etls and stls that got to keep their jobs just because our district was the worst in the group and because our retention numbers were so bad. before I left, when we were doing succession plans there were a couple of STLs in my district that we had plans to weave out. I've been gone from target for over 6 months now and ALL of those STLs are still there, probably because 3 different ones unexpectedly quit. It's all politics and it's all a shit show and it sucks because there really are many great young ETLs and STLs who are deserving of all of their promotions but because there are more bad ones than good, we all kinda get frowned upon. Every day I'm more and more shocked that certain people in my old district are STILL there or that certain TMs and TLs are still on the bench when they deserve so much more.
Now that I am done with target, it has been so interesting to see how fucked up Target is compared to where I am now when it comes to how they value/promote their employees.
Sorry for the tangent. It probably doesn't even all make sense, I'm all over the place!!

 

[commiecorvus]

@Targetcar- Whereas I am sure you are deserving of your promotions, this is the problem with Target and leadership. I have met some really nice 20 something leaders but let's face it, who cares about nice? In reality, a 20/30 year old cannot lead a group of people for various reasons including 1) older employees disregard your comments solely on your age, 2) you 'haven't been there, done that' (you have 5 years exp, they have decades), 3) you are perceived as a 'baby' by guests and 4) most of your workers view you as a 'friend' not as an authority figure. I am sure there are examples where we have some great 25/30 year old ETLs/STLs but I also believe my comments above ring true for most stores.

Oldest leader is a TL in mid-50s and all older TMs respect her-why? B/c they have been through corporate changes over and over and over and over. After a while, they say it's a cycle and you either jump off the cycle or stay on the cycle to start fresh.

While it is true that there are people who should not be running things when they are in their 20's there are certainly some who do just fine.
I managed a brigade in a commercial kitchen where half the staff was almost twice my age when I was 25.
Being the lead chef under those conditions is seriously stressful and can take down people with the best kind of skills and nerve (there's good reasons that alcoholism and drug abuse is so rampant in the industry) but I did okay.
You have to treat people older than you with respect and listen to their council. If they feel like you are listening and understand, even if you have to go against what they've said they will follow you.
The guests customers will accept you at whatever age as long as you speak with authority and professionalism.
As long as you aren't acting like you are their 'friend' your people aren't going to treat you like one.

I have worked for bosses half my age as well and some have followed these rules and done just fine.
Others (unfortunately a number at Spot) didn't but that wasn't because of their age as much as a lack of training in how to work with people (or they were just bad at managing people and would have been bad no matter what age they were).

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

@Targetcar, you are correct.