Voices of experience
Alan - Retail Management Scheme - Alumni
Hi, I'm Alan and I'm an Industrial Relations Manager within the HR area of the business.
I've only been doing this role for a short time but I already know that I like it a lot. Perhaps that's because it's something new, which I always find exciting. This is a good thing because I know that I'll keep getting opportunities to face new challenges – it's been the same since day one.
It's been a pretty varied journey to reach this point. I started off in store then I went onto the Retail Graduate scheme and became a Department Manager. This gave me the chance to run my own department, take responsibility for, and develop, my team and at the same time drive sales and delight customers. I had to quickly understand the store process and realise that it takes confidence, leadership and the ability to roll my sleeves up and get stuck into the day–to–day management of a store. After six months of that, I moved on to work as a Night Team Leader. That was really rewarding, although it's a very different way of life. The results are very tangible. When you go home you know that you've done a good job. And the feeling of being like a family working together is very strong.
You're given lots of exposure to the different departments – in my second year I was a Trading Team Leader, in my third year I was a Store People Manager and in my fourth I became GSM at Bury Marketside. That's pretty rapid progress. But it's also typical of how things happen here. You should expect challenges. In fact, expect plenty of them. Because if you push yourself and you're open to new ideas, then you'll do well and advance quickly.
My next move was to become Project Manager to the Chief Executive, at the time Andy Bond. That was a fantastic 15 months. The highlight was project managing 'Pedal Power', a campaign to raise £4 million for charity, impacting the business financially and culturally.
The important lessons I've learned along the way aren't hard to grasp. Firstly, this is a business that gives you the opportunity to prove yourself and it's up to you to deliver results. You'll get lots of support, of course, but you need to be prepared to take on responsibility and run with it. Secondly, always remember that you can learn from others in the business. There are over 170,000 other colleagues and they can all provide you with the chance to better yourself as an individual. And finally, trust the people you work with to do the job they're paid to do. It's better for you – and it's certainly better for them and for the business.
You soon learn how to inspire the colleagues within your store and help to make a huge difference to our customers' lives by making goods and services more affordable for everyone. It's good knowing that what I do helps ensure the business runs smoothly and makes our customers happy.
