Summary

Desmond, a store clerk with only three months of experience, is promoted to assistant manager and learns valuable leadership lessons through a challenging trial-by-fire experience.

Abstract

Desmond, a relatively new store clerk at a souvenir and mini-supermarket, is unexpectedly offered the position of assistant manager by his manager, Jeff. Despite the increased responsibilities and hours, Desmond accepts the promotion, driven by a sense of loyalty and the desire to support his coworkers and boss. Initially, he struggles with his new role, encountering resistance from his peers, particularly Lenny, who feels overlooked for the promotion, and Ashley, who begins to show up late. Desmond's authoritative approach backfires, leading to a mini-revolt among the staff. However, he reflects on Jeff's advice that a supervisor must act in the best interest of the company, not themselves. This prompts Desmond to shift his strategy to one that is supportive and collaborative. He begins to facilitate smoother operations by planning better break times, recognizing staff for their communication, and delegating tasks according to individual strengths. His new approach improves team morale and performance, and he leaves the job with a strong team and a valuable leadership philosophy.

Opinions

Desmond initially views his promotion as a personal opportunity, focusing on the raise and his relationship with his boss and coworkers.
After experiencing pushback from his colleagues, Desmond realizes that effective leadership requires more than just authority; it involves understanding and supporting one's team.
The author suggests that a leader's success is tied to their ability to empower their team members by recognizing their strengths and creating an environment where they can excel.
Desmond's transformation from an inexperienced supervisor to an effective leader underscores the importance of adaptability and learning from one's mistakes in a leadership role.
The narrative implies that trust and communication are key components of a well-functioning team, and that a leader must be the bridge between staff and higher management.

Trial by Fire

Learning to lead the hard way

“Desmond, since Laurie got transferred to Big Market, we have an opening for an Assistant Manager, what do you think about taking the position? You would get a dollar raise, but you would have to work at least 48 hours a week.”

My manager, Jeff, and I were in the office. I had been working as a store clerk for less than 3 months and they wanted to promote me to assistant manager.

Wow, a dollar raise and average work weeks of 50 hours plus.

But I had nothing else going on, and the job was not that stressful. And if I refused, I know Jeff would not be pleased. Finding staff for our part souvenir part mini-supermarket was hard enough.

I thought about the less time I had to go out with my friends. But, what the hell, I liked my coworkers and my boss was always nice to me. I didn’t want to let them down.

At the end of the day I told Jeff, “Yes, I accept.”

He smiled slightly, then said the words that would change how I viewed work:

“Desmond, when you are a supervisor, you don’t do what’s best for yourself, you have to do what’s best for the company.”

My coworkers who had been friendly with me for those first three months suddenly stopped greeting me when I came into work.

Lenny, who had been working there for five years got into an argument with Jeff over why I was promoted and he wasn’t. Jeff told him it was because he could trust me with the cash deposit and contacting the head office. Lenny began to take his meal breaks without letting me know.

Ashley, who was near my age, started to come in late to work without calling (she had always called Jeff or Laurie to let them know before).

So I did what I thought any new supervisor should do, I began to order everyone around to show who’s boss. That would make them do what I wanted.

I told Betty, our older cashier she had be quicker on the register. Whenever Ashley was late more than 2 minutes I would scold her for always being late and threaten her with a write up. With Lenny, I pretty much ordered him around even though he knew what to do more than I did.

After a week I could see that it wasn’t working. The staff was staging a mini-revolt. I didn’t get it.

Then I remembered Jeff’s words. It finally dawned on me. “When you are a supervisor, you don’t do what’s best for yourself, you have to do what’s best for the company.”

Doing what’s best for the company meant bringing out the best in my staff.

Make their job easier. Be their voice when speaking with Jeff or the head office.

I began to notice things that I hadn’t before being promoted. I began planning staff break times better, based on how busy we got. I thanked late workers for calling in when they would be late. I assigned tasks based on strengths, such as putting the strongest cashiers on the register and letting more outgoing staff be on the floor to put up inventory and answer questions.

By the end of my time at that job, I had become pretty close with all of the staff and no one quit their job.

My manager’s words still guide me today.