New role coming? Look before you Leap
When football coaching legend Vince Lombardi took over for the ailing Green Bay Packers in 1959, he had demands.
In a nutshell, the eventual Super Bowl trophy namesake wanted, in fact demanded, certain conditions before he would accept the head coaching job. After a lifetime of preparation, Lombardi wanted full control of not only coaching but also managing the club. He knew what he needed to do, with minimal interference.
There’s no question it worked.
I’m no hiring guru. Many sites, seminars and people far more specialized in the job game can detail what does and what does not work when seeking an advanced, or even lateral, job change. All I can pass along is my own experience over the decades — for whatever that’s worth. Here are a few informal, personal thoughts.
Exploring a new produce job position: You’ve found an interesting produce position that you think you may fit into well. It could be a buying or merchandising job, a director job or something in between. You send in your neat and accurate resume. You get a response to meet and interview. Now what?
Talk about expectations: Sometimes an applicant is so excited for acceptance that they’re willing to say or agree to anything to land the job. Slow down and ask some pointed questions: How many days and hours are expected? Does the position involve occasional odd hours, evenings or weekends? If so, how frequently? One buying job I took on promised I’d only have to come in for 20 minutes on Saturdays to check on my dispatched produce trucks. It ended up being more than half a day, if not longer.
Related: Read more insight from Armand Lobato
So, I’m an … executor? Does the job title match the actual job description? This may not seem like much of an issue, but I knew a chain “buyer” who got into trouble for cutting purchase orders (buying). I once held a merchandiser title for a smaller chain and was reprimanded at one point because I was, well, merchandising produce. Duh. Someone had to make decisions. Turns out, the expectation was for me to execute a plan made by someone else (who rarely conveyed any merchandising schematics). Insist that there are clear title definitions with no room for role misunderstanding.
Responsibilities: Don’t assume your potential employer will show leeway on this topic down the road, so get everything in writing. Another produce role I took on temporarily involved setting up new stores in distant states. It was a big job, completely absorbing and one that required total focus and concentrated training. Meanwhile, the gross profit, sales and shrink in some of the home state’s stores began to suffer. Like shooting in the dark, that muddled group didn’t know where to pin the blame. Responsibilities need to be clearly assigned and defined, provided with ample support and given the proper people and tools to succeed. Otherwise, no one succeeds.
Who’s in Charge? A friend of mine worked as a produce supervisor for a similar company. They were far too unhinged, labor-wise. He soon discovered he had no say in recruiting, hiring or firing. Decisions for produce manager promotions were relegated to others — mostly store managers with little or no produce background. This had predictable, unsavory results. If you’re applying for an elevated or lateral position (supervisor, merchandiser, director) having at least some say in these matters will affect everything. Ensure that this understanding is built into your job description and that you’re provided a clear flow chart of who reports to whom.
Most of my career, indeed, has been associated with fine, well-organized companies that clearly spelled out quality specifications, responsibilities, roles and other, critical control points. However, beware of organizations that may fall short. You may only get one chance to clarify where you stand. Consider everything before you sign on the dotted line.
Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.
