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And we’re back at it again, I hope you’re having a great week and having a good time living it! I’m Marty with Warehouse and Operations as a Career! Last week we talked a little about the positions of the Lead and the Supervisor. I’ve really enjoyed all the messages and questions that we’re sent in this week, and its so cool so many of us are interested in our jobs and where they can take us! A question was sent in about Goals and Planning, the individual asked how can I plan and or how do I set a goal’s at my job when everything’s up to my boss? He went on to say I know that sounds a little negative but I don’t mean it to be! Well, as complicated as Goals and Planning sounds it’s really simple & we can control them, it’s actually up to us, and us alone, weather we reach them or not.
I think the easiest way to start planning our goals is to start with the biggest one, what do we want to do with our Lives and our Careers? Think of it as the end result. I always wanted to be able to do exactly what I wanted too when I was 55. Now I didn’t hit my goal exactly by the time I wanted too but I didn’t miss it by all that much. Once we know where we want to end up it makes it easier to map out how to get there. Think of it as planning a long trip, first we have to know our destination. Think of all the next steps as short term goals. Now we know we’ll need our vehicle & gas, we head out of the neighborhood on the streets that take us to the highway and we map out all the turns needed to get us to point B. Our career path can be planned out much the same. I mean we know what we love doing and we know we’re doing it to earn money. If we know how much money we want to earn we can apply ourselves, get the education or experience we need, and ask others questions, hang out with those that can help or teach us! Of course they’ll be stops along the way, and we’ll adjust our course as needed just like we can and will on our trip.
So we’ve got a job in Operations, that can be our first goal, we know what we enjoy doing right? Our next goal can be to be in the top 25% at whatever we’re doing. If we’re in the production or productivity environments it’s pretty easy to gauge how were doing because there tracked by metrics or percentages. If we’re in a general labor field or sanitation or maybe maintenance fields, anything that’s not tracked by our WMS or warehouse management system we’ll stand out by our knowledge of our position.
Our Next goal could be to earn the additional incentive pay that could be associated with our position. If we’re a loader, forklift driver or an order selector that next step may be easily defined for us. In a non-tracked position we’ll learn everything around us, you know those tasks that touch ours and we’re going to make sure our management team knows that we’ve learned them too.
Next we’ll identify that next step or job that we’ll need to know to achieve all the experience needed to be the best at the position we’ve set as our target. I was once asked by an Executive Vice President where I wanted to end up with the organization. I was a Dry Warehouse Manager at the time and told him I wanted to be the V.P. of Operations. Of course his first question was why I didn’t say I wanted to be the president of my own facility. I told him I’d decided a long time ago, when I was unloading trucks, that I wanted to retire as a V.P. of Operations because I loved being involved in the day to day of the operations, working closely with the crews and product. I never had an interest in the Sales, Financials or Merchandising side of the company. I’d researched what the VP Position entailed and what it’s earnings could be and decided that’s what I wanted. I worked with him over the next 10 years, he became a president of his own house and I accomplished my goal as a VP within the organization. We both achieved our goals, and I don’t think he ever really understood why I didn’t reach any further than I did. I saw it as we both were doing what we loved!
We each can set our goals and it’s our responsibility to plan and execute our actions to accomplish them, our bosses honestly don’t control anything regarding us reaching them. As hard as it can be to accept it’s all on us. Buy you a little composition book and write out your goals so you can look at them each week, you can add too them as things change and it’s easy to plan out your week’s, months, quarters and yearly accomplishments. I’ve kept one for years and it’s helped me achieve what I’ve wanted too in my Career! I found a good article at https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html that I found really interesting, I’ll include it in today’s show notes for you and there’s literally hundreds of articles on Goals and Planning online. Check them out, they’ll help explain planning much better than I can today!
Last week we we’re talking about coming from an hourly position and taking that first step into management and we discussed a few of the Pro’s and Con’s of the move. We had a good time learning from others that had made the decision and had taken that next step. I reached out to a young gentleman I met that just recently had been promoted from an Unloading Position into a Lumper Lead role. We had some great talks and he offered to let us check in with him over the next several months as he learns the position and faces the challenges any new position can bring with it.
Corey, welcome to the WAOC Podcast Sir!
1. So tell us a bit about yourself and how you make your way into the warehouse industry?
Corey – My name is Corey Tarr and first I would like to say how honored I am to be apart of WAOC and a guest on the show. Fifteen years ago I worked summers in a produce warehouse stacking 50-100 pound potatoes on pallets. Just watching how busy it was as a teenager was exciting and intriguing. I remember the excitement of getting my workers permit filled out so at fifteen years old I could start my first job in this industry. From then, I went back and forth between the U.S Army to warehouse and construction jobs. I finally decided to stop messing around and give this 110%. I did and here I am with a career!
- You just accepted a position as a lead, taking that first step into a leadership role. Can you share how that came about Sir?
Corey – Well, with ambition and luck, I pushed myself to work productively and safe. A couple of really great men, my supervisor and others from out of town, noticed one day and a fellow warehouse was short on men so I volunteered to track on up there and help them out. That’s what it takes- sacrifice when your team needs you and to lead by example. That’s how I became Lead in my eyes.
- I assume you have a plan put together, at least in your head. Could you share with us how it came to be and how’s it going?
Corey – My plan is to learn as much as possible in order to help as many as possible. I got promoted to Lead in that very warehouse I volunteered for. I’m stepping in slow learning the techniques, different safety areas and feeling out the expectations of the customers. Also, building trust with the employees that I can lead by showing them i have the know how. My idea of a good work environment is safety and production. It is going pretty good. We’re accident free and trying to keep the near missed at bay. Being short a man right now we’re pulling together as a team and getting the job done.
- So what have you already ran into that you’d say was a surprising challenge to you?
Corey – Just adjusting to the new facility, new personalities and building the team. I’m trying to show everyones part is important and I’m there when they need me. Being a team together gets the trucks in and out safely and quickly.
- I know your promotion was only a few weeks ago but any thoughts or advice you’d like to share with our listeners?
Corey – Yes. When your fellow employees need you- take initiative, sacrifice and volunteer to travel or stay the extra ten minutes just to help. You never know it might be your next promotion!
Corey, thanks for visiting with us and sharing your story with us today Sir.
Maybe you’ll let us ring you up again, check in on your progress down the road?
And I’d like to thank each of our listeners for catching our episodes each week. I hope you’re finding some value with our topics and please email us with any suggestions or topics that you’d like to hear something about. And remember we’re having a good time with our facebook and twitter feeds too, you can find us there using @whseandops. Oh, and if you have a minute check out the Facebook Group Warehouse Equipment Operators Community, we’re having a lot of fun there too & some great information is being shared. Have a great week ahead and be sure your following all your Safety Procedures and we hope to hear from you again next week!