Derek stated out in the business when I was 14. He would bike 3 miles out to the local butcher shop to help cut wood, clean holding pens and meat shop. From there he went to work for Hy-Vee in Waseca,MN as a seafood and service meat clerk for five years. he then spent a year with Econo Foods in New Prauge, Which is where he received most of his formal training. He then went on to manage the meat dept. for a small local grocery store in Waterville,Mn. Did that for 5 years without a raise so he decided to jump back into the corporate world to advance his career. Went back to work for Econo foods in New Prague,mn as the lead cutter for 2 years until the dept manager moved on to a bigger store, at that time he took over his position and ran the dept until the closed the following year. From there he was transferred to the northfield store to work under his old manager as a lead cutter once again. Now almost exactly a year after the day his old store closed, He has accepted the managers position at the soon to be- family fresh market in farmington,mn. Also It is the same company he his been working for for the last 4+ years (Nash Finch)
here's some cheap advice- when you go to a new department as manager, it often starts out as a "we and they" the crew and you I use to like to meet with every crew member one on one-in the office, not the cooler-just the two of you
this is powerful, it reinforces you as in charge, and you are taking the time with them to make them feel important, asking for feedback - many bosses don't do this- just ask a couple simple questions "how do we improve this department"?
and LISTEN, let them vent a bit, but also take notes-listen, listen listen, and take notes
this has a psychological dynamic too- but it works to your favor- since every crew member will be meeting with you, you get to know where the bias is, and you get to know where the perceived weaknesses are.
Then observe for a week or two before you make any changes, just to compare what was said, and reality
