IN THE TRENCHES: Selecting a produce manager is a crucial decision
IN THE TRENCHES: Selecting a produce manager is a crucial decision
Are there enough good, talented produce managers available to go around the supermarket industry today? Trying to find a fully qualified and top-rated produce manager is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
I have said many times that the most important people in the produce industry are produce managers. Why am I so firm on this belief? It is because I have always been surrounded by these retail store experts during my career in the food industry. I know exactly what kind of person it takes to achieve favorable produce results for a store. It takes people with leadership qualities and superior skills.
Produce managers are unique individuals. They play a significant role in sending a message to the consumers that sets a special freshness tone for a store as well as the entire industry. If it were not for produce managers, we would not move nearly as many fresh fruits and vegetables as we do today.
Produce managers can make or break a department operation. Too often, management has panic attacks when seeking a produce manager to fill an open slot in a store. As an industry consultant, I am constantly being asked about produce managers. The questions go something like this, "My produce manager quit. Are there any decent produce managers out there? I need one fast." Others have said, "I need a produce manager for my store. I'll take anyone." Are they kidding? It sounds more like they are just looking for "fill- in" type help.
Just how do companies get into these predicaments in the first place? Why does management allow itself to be forced into a last-minute search for people off the street to fill such an important position that requires many years to become a certified expert?
Good and talented produce managers with strong leadership qualities are very rare these days in supermarkets, where turnover of excelptional employees is common. The biggest reason is the high ratio of part-time employees who make up the work force. Many have no intention of being full-time workers and advancing into managerial positions. Considering this existing condition, regular full-time produce clerks would need to be properly trained and developed to become produce managers.
I often hear store managers say, "I'll take whoever is available. Anybody is better than nobody." That is a major mistake frequently made out of desperation. Sometimes management hastily hires and assigns a person to fill a produce manager position only to eventually find out that he or she was wrong for the job. Then management continues to leave that person in place hoping he or she will develop somewhere along the way. Instead, matters only become worse - and usually in short time.
There are two major mistakes that retailers typically make when seeking candidates for a produce manager position:
Mistake 1: Bad hiring - It is not hard to hire weak employees, but it is a real challenge to hire good, talented people. Too often, hiring people with no real talent for produce will lead to failure. Some candidates may only know the basics, but produce managers cannot know half the answers today. An applicant chewing and crackling gum or wearing a baseball cap and jeans at an interview immediately reveals all there is to know about their skills and future work habits. In spite of these negative factors, companies still hire a number of these candidates to oversee an entire produce department and its crew. As a result, they get the inexperienced and untalented people they deserve.
Mistake 2: Bad training - In many cases, it is more accurate to say "No training." Failing to train candidates for a produce manager position is like asking them to do mediocre work and achieve weak bottom-line results. Even though a candidate has had previous experience, he or she still requires further training in the areas of new trends, standards and goals.
In many instances, individuals are plucked from the grocery department and merely placed into the position of a produce manager with little or no training. This is unfair to those people who usually do not have a clue about operating a produce department and self-destruct within a short time. Some produce managers in the trenches today will admit to being forced into that unfortunate circumstance.
Hiring the right person to become a produce manager is an investment for a company. Taking time to select that person is absolutely imperative. Many companies spend more time appraising the cost of an office computer printer than they spend deciding on the person to run an entire produce department. We should respect the position of a produce manager. Be very cautious in your final decision when filling that role. A good choice will help make your company a lot of money; a bad choice will help in closing it down.
I have said many times that the most important people in the produce industry are produce managers. Why am I so firm on this belief? It is because I have always been surrounded by these retail store experts during my career in the food industry. I know exactly what kind of person it takes to achieve favorable produce results for a store. It takes people with leadership qualities and superior skills.
Produce managers are unique individuals. They play a significant role in sending a message to the consumers that sets a special freshness tone for a store as well as the entire industry. If it were not for produce managers, we would not move nearly as many fresh fruits and vegetables as we do today.
Produce managers can make or break a department operation. Too often, management has panic attacks when seeking a produce manager to fill an open slot in a store. As an industry consultant, I am constantly being asked about produce managers. The questions go something like this, "My produce manager quit. Are there any decent produce managers out there? I need one fast." Others have said, "I need a produce manager for my store. I'll take anyone." Are they kidding? It sounds more like they are just looking for "fill- in" type help.
Just how do companies get into these predicaments in the first place? Why does management allow itself to be forced into a last-minute search for people off the street to fill such an important position that requires many years to become a certified expert?
Good and talented produce managers with strong leadership qualities are very rare these days in supermarkets, where turnover of excelptional employees is common. The biggest reason is the high ratio of part-time employees who make up the work force. Many have no intention of being full-time workers and advancing into managerial positions. Considering this existing condition, regular full-time produce clerks would need to be properly trained and developed to become produce managers.
I often hear store managers say, "I'll take whoever is available. Anybody is better than nobody." That is a major mistake frequently made out of desperation. Sometimes management hastily hires and assigns a person to fill a produce manager position only to eventually find out that he or she was wrong for the job. Then management continues to leave that person in place hoping he or she will develop somewhere along the way. Instead, matters only become worse - and usually in short time.
There are two major mistakes that retailers typically make when seeking candidates for a produce manager position:
Mistake 1: Bad hiring - It is not hard to hire weak employees, but it is a real challenge to hire good, talented people. Too often, hiring people with no real talent for produce will lead to failure. Some candidates may only know the basics, but produce managers cannot know half the answers today. An applicant chewing and crackling gum or wearing a baseball cap and jeans at an interview immediately reveals all there is to know about their skills and future work habits. In spite of these negative factors, companies still hire a number of these candidates to oversee an entire produce department and its crew. As a result, they get the inexperienced and untalented people they deserve.
Mistake 2: Bad training - In many cases, it is more accurate to say "No training." Failing to train candidates for a produce manager position is like asking them to do mediocre work and achieve weak bottom-line results. Even though a candidate has had previous experience, he or she still requires further training in the areas of new trends, standards and goals.
In many instances, individuals are plucked from the grocery department and merely placed into the position of a produce manager with little or no training. This is unfair to those people who usually do not have a clue about operating a produce department and self-destruct within a short time. Some produce managers in the trenches today will admit to being forced into that unfortunate circumstance.
Hiring the right person to become a produce manager is an investment for a company. Taking time to select that person is absolutely imperative. Many companies spend more time appraising the cost of an office computer printer than they spend deciding on the person to run an entire produce department. We should respect the position of a produce manager. Be very cautious in your final decision when filling that role. A good choice will help make your company a lot of money; a bad choice will help in closing it down.
