Produce, floral managers at NEPC show explore a higher purpose

EVERETT, Mass. — Don’t wait until you’re confident to try for your career goals, said a leadership coach at New England Produce Council’s produce conference just outside Boston.

Wendy McManus, founder and CEO of Connect 2 Potential and former retail program manager at the National Mango Board, shared this advice at the first NEPC Produce Manager Leadership Development Program. She presented the seminar Aug. 22, the main day of NEPC’s Produce, Floral & Foodservice Expo.

“It’s the ability to commit without knowing how to do the hard thing, without the confidence to do it. We don’t have to wait for the confidence to do it. We just need the commitment to do it,” McManus said. “Do the hard thing.”

Fifteen produce and floral managers and merchandisers from New England-based grocery retailers were selected to attend the interactive seminar, “The Last 50 Feet: Leading with Purpose and Confidence,” sponsored by Coast to Coast Produce, Cheshire, Conn., in honor of its late founder, Peter Sticco.

“It was important to him to foster leadership and educate young people,” said Laura Sullivan, NEPC executive director.

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Until a month ago, Palavi Mannan was an assistant store director at Star Market, part of Shaw’s, both subsidiaries of Albertsons Cos. Now she’s a produce and floral specialist, in charge of produce and floral for 20 Star Market stores in the Boston area.

“This is my first time attending one of these shows, and I think it’s going to be very beneficial for me, especially this part,” Mannan said during a seminar break.

August is a busy time of year for produce at retail.

“The back-to-school season is Christmas for us. That’s when everyone comes back, and we get sales. It’s the biggest opportunity for us,” Mannan said.

These produce and floral professionals play the final critical role in earning those sales. They’re in charge of the “last 50 feet,” or the estimated distance from dock to display.

“You guys own the last 50 feet of a product that took months, sometimes years, to create. And you guys own that,” McManus said. “There’s study after study about having a sense of purpose in your work, and what a difference that makes.”

More commitment, lower stress and less turnover are all benefits of employees who feel a sense of personal purpose in their work.

It’s also helpful to step back for a moment from your everyday duties and be reminded of that big picture. That pause for reflection is helpful when training and managing your produce clerks too, McManus said. Explain the “why” behind your step-by-step instructions.

Also, celebrate the small wins that lead to the big win of that big picture.

As an icebreaker to the seminar, each participant shared what fruit, vegetable or flower they’d be and why.

“If I was a vegetable, I’d be a cucumber because I’m cool,” said Wayne Cousins, produce and floral manager at Big Y Foods, Naugatuck, Conn., store No. 32. “You have to be calm under pressure. Just be mellow.”

Cousins recalled how hard it was when he was an assistant produce manager, and he was tasked with delivering bad news of job termination to disgruntled employees.

“Now I am the manager, and I have to handle all the problems, but I have a team of happy employees,” Cousins said.

Attendees discussed leaders they admired, what those qualities were, how they can exhibit those qualities, and how to keep themselves accountable about this goal. One idea was to include your purpose statement in your work email signature.

Al Garnett, a winner in the 2017 United Fresh Retail Produce Manager Awards, sat in the back of the room as his Stop & Shop colleagues participated.

He’s worked in produce retail since 1973, and today he is the produce field manager of Stop & Shop, where he created produce selection and preparation classes for shoppers that became so popular, there was a waiting list.

“At an early age, I had a supervisor who allowed me to participate in meetings … What he taught me most was people skills, the keys to understanding the person,” Garnett said.

After the NEPC seminar ended, he said: “I found it interesting that 75% of the people talked about procuring people, mentoring people. It’s hugely important.”

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