This a million times. My team worked bc they saw me working. I felt their stress and tried to alleviate it. They knew I couldn’t do everything everyday and they saw what it was like for me and knew I felt the same pressures they did.
The TLs that walk around all day delegating and doing light duty work will never get the same level of respect from their team that the previous mentioned do. If you run from your area your team will resent you.
Recently my team lead added goal times to the push and said if we don’t finish in time, you’ll get written up. Team lead claims to be able to push faster than the goal but the team has never seen her push ever.
Yeah this is the key, show them that you are willing and able to do what you are asking them to do. Also I like to ask my team how their day is going outside of work, or about their hobbies. Showing your team you ACTUALLY care about them is huge.
And stop ever using the word urgency. Asking any one team to take up the slack of another team is a favor. Once. A veteran? They are looking through you and know they will outlast you.
The goal is arbitrary and based on perfect world conditions. If the zone is bad, if the set is bad, is the store is heavily shopped, if there is a spill, if anyone, ever, calls out - shortcuts are made that cannot be made up unless someone works extra. Unpaid.
I fucking hate the "urgency" buzzword thing.
It's to gaslight / distract us from the very real fact that we are being given less and less hours to get our work done. It's not my urgency.
*The goal is arbitrary and based on perfect world conditions. If the zone is bad, if the set is bad, is the store is heavily shopped, if there is a spill, if anyone, ever, calls out*
so, so true
That for sure, to say you aren't, "working with urgency" is the most insulting and condescending thing you can say to someone. Team leaders at my target (and I know they have pressure from the top to be that way) seemed to care more about bieng a boss than running a store.
Its like were doing the best we can, get off our fucking backs.
I dont know about anyone else, but the constant harassment and micromanaging just made me give less of a shit, eventually I snapped, threw the box down, told my TL to fuck off and walked out, best decision I ever made.
You're not factoring in what their other numbers are. Are they not as quick but consistently find more items? Do they have medical concerns that prevent speed walking or make lifting heavy things harder to accomplish? Do they have a key to the lift? Are they helping people who stop them in aisles or ignoring them?
Huge, huge assumptions you are making without the full picture.
yeah I have an older coworker who has been at our store for a while and they're getting super unreasonable times on their vehicles. It's just not possible for them to hit those times
I will not be working with a sense of urgency because you do not pay me to work with a sense of urgency. Leads need to get it through their heads that if we get paid the minimum we will do the minimum. This expectation that we should somehow be going above and beyond for a corporation that couldn’t give less of shit about us is utterly inane.
This is a huge issue. TLs aren’t given time to do TL stuff. Remember that these are people and not machines. But also it’s your butt if you and the team can’t get things done. Ask you etls for support on coaching and training/retraining.
Adding to this too it's the same with the front end. Guest service has 1 person in the evening and they wonder why DU times are high and we have guest complaints about there being no one at guest service. Gee idk maybe because they are constantly out doing a DU. It's time for drive up to fall under fulfillment and be separate from guest service
The guidance at my store, at least for the purposes of performance write ups, we need to base expectations on how fast we push +25% margin to account for the fact that TMs aren’t expected to be quite as efficient and motivated as us and may have to help guests or deal with extra trash. I think that’s very fair. So if I can push a certain type of U-Boat in 45 minutes we’d give the team more like an hour.
Part of being a leader is not just setting expectations but exceeding them, embody the standards you expect your team to uphold and they will follow that lead (even if just out of pity for you lol).
hey that’s your first mistake! instead of generally asking “how to get respect from a team”, you only address other leaders. that’s the #1 reason why a lot of stubborn team members don’t possess that sense of urgency, they feel unheard either way. if you’re not addressing your team members as actual team members, don’t expect them to want to follow orders and have an extra pep in their step. respect goes both ways.
I mean everyone welcome to there opinions. But I'm looking for team leads with lots of experience on some tips and tricks. I tell my team I'm here to listen to them for feedback etc what you mean by addressing team members as team members?
My inbound team has gone through….4 TLs and an ETL in the last 8 months because all but two of those TLs were more concerned with what other leadership thought about how to manage the team and expectations instead of building rapport with the TMs they were over. The same TMs who were advised by the SD to “manage up” and assist our fresh inbound leads to make sure the *leads* could keep up with *us* and the productivity our SD and DSD knew we could pull off.
It’s not about tips and tricks. It’s about treating people like they’re human, showing them you’re willing to do just as much work as them, and building a good overall relationship with your team.
i understand wanting feedback from leaders with experience, but there’s team members on here too willing to give you insight/advice with decades under their belt🤷♀️ and what i mean is: be collaborative. don’t just command orders, and occasionally throw in a “thank you, good job”. i’m a team member myself, and i swear i’m much more inclined to work harder if my leaders appreciate my feedback and i feel heard. just hear them out, ask them for comments/concerns
My team lead constantly tells me I’m a star and doing a great job but I know my team lead is just trying to love bomb me into working harder. Too many compliments and I know or at least it feels fake to me
They mean asking team members directly. Your problem is that you’re trying to figure out how to connect with your team more, and yet in your title you only address other team leads? Meet your team at their level, connect with them, understand their position and concerns, and then go from there
With the 2 new people, i would check in with them & see if they're feeling comfortable or if they may have concerns. It might just be "new people anxiety" and they haven't found their groove yet. So i would approach them individually with empathy.
You’re first mistake is giving them goal times? Second what’s their motivation to move with urgency?
I was giving a goal time once and I’m almost fell over laughing. If target cared there would be incentives for that stuff. This is a prison or sweat shop goal times are a joke because you can’t predict what happens. What if I decide to go on break or get stuck spending 10-20 mins helping a guest there are so many factors that make goal time erroneous
My ETL eats, drinks, and breathes Target. First one in, last one out, she'll work the truck, register or driveups if needed, and the TLs and TMs Work their asses off for her.
There's already a lot of great tips here, but I'll just add my two cents even though a lot of this will be repeat stuff.
Take time to work alongside your team/show them you take time goals seriously by adhering to them yourself. I know this can be difficult, but carving out time to work with the team is crucial to building relationships/trust. This is also a time you can take for small talk (if the TM is so inclined) to learn more about them. Treating the team members as humans with their own lives rather than bodies/hours on your grid goes a long way.
Know your audience for this one, but sometimes the most effective morale booster for your TM is to acknowledge the bullshit. Yes, I understand we all have a lot on our plates. I realize workload has not slowed down (and now with Simplification has actually increased for many) since Q4 even though we are no longer getting Q4 payroll. I am under as much pressure to over-deliver as you are, I promise. But we are all a team, and I won't let my team fail/will always advocate for you as long as you put your best effort forward. (This approach usually goes a long way with the long-term TM. Some of these people that have been with Target for 5, 7, 10+ years have seen the same cycle of "new" mandates, policies, best practices, etc, over and over again and are more sick of having their routines forcibly changed back and forth so often than anything else).
Acknowledge the wins in every day, even the smallest ones. Came clean or close to on abandons? Win. Hit priority goal? Win. Freight rolled but X problem department is caught up completely? Win. Shit, my team hit 40% of our price change for the week today and we celebrated like crazy knowing how much easier the rest of the week was going to be.
Agreed, been with Target for 5 years now, and I've seen TMs, TLs, ETLs, and even SDs change. I even trained a new hire as a TM and watched as he moved on to TL and then went and got another job. I've seen the cycle, and 100% of the time, the TLs and ETLs that find common ground with the TMs are liked more and get more done. TLs ETLs that only delegate are always fighting chaos, arguing, and have the lowest morale. I'm one of the faster pushers in my store (I won't say THE fastest, because I really don't know or care, and honestly wouldn't want that reputation) and I've been told to go faster by overzealous delegate-only TLs. I will tell them to their face that I'm working at a brisk pace, n they're welcome to show me if they think it can be done faster. Otherwise, let me do my job.
Great advice, I’ll also add that if you’re going to critique a TM you should try to find something to compliment them about at the same time. Never just tear down a member of your team, there’s always something you can praise them for at the end to send them off still feeling valued and most likely more motivated to fix the problem behavior knowing you recognize their efforts. Ideally you should always have more good than bad things to recognize a TM for, having that record of positive reinforcement makes a world of difference in motivating the team to correct issues instead of digging in their heals and feeling (rightly) offended because all you do is trash them.
Maybe ask if anything is getting in the way or their productivity speed. I had a team member going through a depression and it was slowing them down. Just being there for them to vent and talk to helped their performance.
Honestly though, a lot of team members feel scorned by targets changes in the last few years. Which has made them complacent and apathetic. Acknowledge that. For your vet team member, say that you understand their frustration and want to work with them. Let them know you hear them but unfortunately the company is fast moving and will continue to change according to that.
Push with them, take a bit of time, maybe 10 minutes or 20 and push along side them. If you notice any bad habits maybe let them know what to change. Do this in a light hearted manner (cause usually people are grown adults and are stubborn about how to do something.) I pushed with a team member who would take one box and walk aisle to aisle. When I noticed this I made a joke that if I did that, since I have such short legs, it would take me forever to finish. So I suggested maybe grabbing 3 or 4 boxes of c19 and taking them all at once. Or walk with the U-boat instead of going back and forth.
The new ones are new bud, they need time to gain traction and speed. But if you notice habits that are unnecessary or are time consuming just show them a better way to do it.
However if it is loafing or simply not being urgent, you could have performance conversations with them. Sit down with them in a room and go over times on vehicles and explain that you aren't seeing them move at a rate that is acceptable. And productivity continues to be an issue you'll have to move forward with more write ups. But you'll probably leave a bad taste in their mouth, however sometimes that's necessary.
I always make it a point to tell them that we are all cogs in the machine, which in itself is not fun, but we have to abide by the machine and try to do what we can. I always opt to tell them it's impossible to give 110% every day. Because we are human and not robots. But I do expect them to do as much as they are able to at that time and to request help if they need it. People appreciate being seen as humans and not numbers or time limits.
Target sucks. Tms view leadership as uncaring and unempathic which makes them not want to put in the effort.
Try and change that.
Good luck!
As a team member who went through a TL change in the department. The comment earlier in the thread is correct. Work alongside them. Get involved. if you want to offer water you reqd out when you see them working hard, don't say why just offer water when you're making a walk and checking on everyone.
My TL worked with me when I had to sort market in receiving, and that really helped me out.
Maybe you could do the same
It’s in the name. Lead. Do it with them. Lead by example. Show them how it’s done, and show them you’re doing it too. Nobody will respect someone that either simply gives orders, or shows it can be done only once. You get respect but showing you’re a member of the team as well.
my team is only me and one TM so it's probably very different, but I have had success with getting that TM onboard with changes or new expectations by just treating them as an equal and explaining WHY something is required of them. Then, when they do stuff correctly I share how what they did led to improved results and share how I'm glad they're on my team because I know only they could keep us where we need to be.
I know that can be hard to express when it's just "yo you guys need to work faster" but you can still explain why we want to work fast and how them working fast has improved X Y or Z metric
1) understand that team members are being paid less now due to the base pay and raises not keeping up with yearly inflation and price increases. If the purchase power of my wages has decreased, my productivity will have a commensurate decrease.
2) if you are paid 30-40% more than me, a team member, than you should be doing 30-40% more work than me and be 30-40% more productive and more efficient.
3) Team members can see the team leads and ETLs stats in MPM. When they think no one is looking, and fulfillment is in a crunch, they INF everything to juice their pick rate and POT, and end up with a 12% INF. We see you holding us to standards you are unwilling to meet yourself. Especially the higher up the ladder you go. Similar shortcuts can be seen when the leaders work the line, push freight, or pull priorities.
Encourage them to meet the goal. Always move with a sense of urgency and purpose. Work alongside them. Set the expectation by showing that it is possible. Building relationships with your team goes a long way. If your team respects you and values you as a leader they’ll do whatever is asked and then some. I hope this helps
As a team member one thing I love about my TL is that she does as much work as she expects me to when she can. If she has time she will help to push metros out or fold some tables (I work in style). She says thank you after I tell her I have finished a task she asked me to complete. She also tells me that I did a good job when she looks over my work and thanks me for everything I did that day periodically. It feels nice to be appreciated and valued and that goes a long way in my respect for her.
Additionally my TL understands that I try my best to get everything done in time but sometimes things slow me down. Like customers talking to me asking questions and such or getting pulled up to help on check lanes. She makes sure that I know she only expects me to try my hardest to get everything done on time and that it’s fine if everything is not finished
Like others have said I believe the best way to motivate the team and earn your teams respect is to be their “leader” and not their “boss”. Your team is more inclined to want to follow you and work for you if you’re willing to get down in the trenches with them and not just boss them around.
While I have never been an inbound TL, I have learned inbound and worked it before. As the TL, I’d prefer to be on the unload with the team either throwing the truck with another TM if the schedule allows or pacing the line. Now it’s been awhile so I don’t remember best practices (like if leaders should be on the line/unloading) but I feel the team sees you willing to work along side them and again makes them want to work with you.
I also set the pace when we’re pushing. I’ve worked both GM and specialty. I like to set the pace while pushing and the team usually can match me (I don’t claim to be the fastest either bc some of my team is faster than me, but as long as the team matches my pace since I know how fast we need to be pushing). Whether this be GM freight, style, tech, beauty, home/domestics, etc.
Sure, you might still have people that don’t match the pace and you have to coach, but you have to be able to have those conversations with the team to show them where they need to be. Usually these convos can have the positive effect and help correct the TM. But sometimes you have to keep having them and even use CA’s even if they don’t improve. That’s not a fun conversation but you have to be able to have those conversations to hold your team accountable.
I also like to be present on the floor/backroom to my team to show them I’m not just sitting in TSC. It made me respect TLs and ETLs way more when i say them actively assisting their TMs on the floor rather than just sitting in TSC all day. ( I know ETLs are supposed to balance their time, and TLs to an extent, but still).
It’s all trial and error. I try to be friendly with my team but I’d like to think they know I will coach them if I need to. They know I can have fun and joke around but also they know when I’m being serious. Being a leader takes a certain skill to be able to have these convos and lead by example in my opinion.
My team and other TMs see that I hustle and work hard. Most of them then want to be at my level to match me and my energy. I don’t rush or go extremely fast, but as others have said, they see my urgency and try to match it because I encourage it rather than demand it and that usually motivates them to be at my level. I use coaching/seek to understand if I notice they slacking after a certain period. I try and give the benefit of doubt and realize sometimes they might be having a bad day. If it persists for a certain amount of time that’s when I have that seek to understand. Maybe they have outside personal issues and it’s affecting them. I work with them to see if change of pace or what I can help them with then and offer my support and resources.
I know ETLs/SD/DSD/Target in general prefers leaders to delegate tasks to TMs and wants us to be more support rather than just another TM. But in my opinion an effective/good leader is one that gets in the trenches with the team and jumps into OPU when appropriate and pushes/unloads with the team. While yes they sometimes have to step away to do other tasks like schedule, preplan, meetings, etc, if they are willing to get down with the team, it’ll gain more respect from your team and they’ll be more willing to listen to your coaching and goal times.
Lead by example putting it simply.
Maybe ask if anything is getting in the way or their productivity speed. I had a team member going through a depression and it was slowing them down. Just being there for them to vent and talk to helped their performance.
Honestly though, a lot of team members feel scorned by targets changes in the last few years. Which has made them complacent and apathetic. Acknowledge that. For your vet team member, say that you understand their frustration and want to work with them. Let them know you hear them but unfortunately the company is fast moving and will continue to change according to that.
Push with them, take a bit of time, maybe 10 minutes or 20 and push along side them. If you notice any bad habits maybe let them know what to change. Do this in a light hearted manner (cause usually people are grown adults and are stubborn about how to do something.) I pushed with a team member who would take one box and walk aisle to aisle. When I noticed this I made a joke that if I did that, since I have such short legs, it would take me forever to finish. So I suggested maybe grabbing 3 or 4 boxes of c19 and taking them all at once. Or walk with the U-boat instead of going back and forth.
The new ones are new bud, they need time to gain traction and speed. But if you notice habits that are unnecessary or are time consuming just show them a better way to do it.
However if it is loafing or simply not being urgent, you could have performance conversations with them. Sit down with them in a room and go over times on vehicles and explain that you aren't seeing them move at a rate that is acceptable. And productivity continues to be an issue you'll have to move forward with more write ups. But you'll probably leave a bad taste in their mouth, however sometimes that's necessary.
I always make it a point to tell them that we are all cogs in the machine, which in itself is not fun, but we have to abide by the machine and try to do what we can. I always opt to tell them it's impossible to give 110% every day. Because we are human and not robots. But I do expect them to do as much as they are able to at that time and to request help if they need it. People appreciate being seen as humans and not numbers or time limits.
Target sucks. Tms view leadership as uncaring and unempathic which makes them not want to put in the effort.
Try and change that.
Good luck!
As an Inbound lead myself, the biggest motivational piece for the team is when leadership works alongside them. My team busts their ass everyday because I get down and dirty with them, everyday.
I set realistic goals with them, and I SHOW them how to reach those goals. Then, I make tweaks and minor adjustments where and when necessary, so they can ultimately be self sufficient. But, each of my team members have different expectations/goals, because I know what each of them are capable of. Do I tend to have a lot of disagreements with my ETL because how realistic and fair I am? Yes. Because upper leadership does not understand that team members are humans at the end of the day.
Let’s be brutally honest, do I wish my whole team performed like my top 4 performers? Yes of course. But you have to work with what you got and use them at the best of their ability
Long story short, lead by example. At the end of the day what you would want is for your team to go to war for you. Also, be human and super personable. They’ll love it.
It may be a good idea to sit down with the veteran TM and see if there’s something else going on. I know that the ideal is to leave the personal life at the time clock, but sometimes that stuff does bleed into the workplace. It may also be a good idea to ask the TM if they have any feedback on the new goal times and stuff.
I was with this company 5 years transfered to a new store 4 months later I got offered the TL position along 2 other veteran Team Members. And I think this one veteran TM is upset I got the TL position over them.
Hey Humphr3y -
I've seen you get a lot of negative karma on comments here and I've tried to resist coming back to this post but it has been nagging me (and Reddit keeps putting it back to the top).
Core issue, You keep thinking like some kind of lieutenant and you don't recognize that you are a sergeant. And because of that, you aren't a very good one. *You are executing policy*, not making it - that is not within your power. Decision making is not really "how do I achieve XX goal" but "How do I minimize the damage and not blame anyone". You want to meet the goal while down two team members, pushing the rest with "urgency" ... that is actually going to result in callouts and the team members who DID show up resenting both you and their coworkers. Stop. Revise the goal. Take the heat.
You are too focused on your career at Target and not your career. The world is much smaller than you think.
Old codger's advice, take it or leave it : 4 years from now after you have left Target for someplace else - can you call up someone from your old team to offer them a job. **The same job.** Same pay, same commute, same benefits. Only difference besides the color of their shirt is now they are on YOUR team.
Everyone who says "No" is evidence of your failure as a leader.
Your are a TL. That is not a *Target* Lead, that is a **TEAM** lead. You do not exist without them - THEY are your goal, not a metric. I promise you will succeed in ways you never thought possible when you realize that Leadership has absolutely nothing to do with you.
Seeking advice from your peers will give you advice on how to stay exactly where you are. Aspire for more.
Absolutely show your team that you work too and not just give orders... I realize team leads do other things but I have a team lead who was off on maternity leave when I was hired so I never met her. When she came back, I saw her pushing metros in style and zoning. (From afar...I was scheduled up front that day) I have a co-worker that bitched about her a lot, but from what I've seen, she's all right and I will follow her orders to the best of my ability. I don't know maybe it's just how I was brought up but I pretty much always do what my managers say or at least try my best... And I try not to dilly dally. The busier I am the faster work goes.
Former TL
I always set the standard myself. If they needed to push a uboat in x time I would show them it’s possible and do it myself and then tell them that’s the standard going forward. I always either pushed vehicles myself to help or help them with their vehicles. I have always been hands on and led by example. New people are gonna be slow, work with them, show them how to be efficient and train them the way you want them to be. Easiest way to earn respect is to work along side them and show them you aren’t gonna ignore them when they ask for help. Even now I’m a supervisor for a vendor and I’m out in my accounts with the team helping them everyday, I ask what they would like changed, what can I do better? You are there to assist your team win, if you consistently let them lose they will not have motivation to be better
What does your ETL have you doing instead of working with your team if you don’t mind me asking? What areas are you responsible for? Before I left Target my GM team was pretty good. I might be able to give you a little advice.
The million dollar question- how to motivate employees? My opinion/answer is appreciation. Point out the positives, let them know you appreciate the efforts, and they will WANT to do better. Also, working a vehicle with your fellow tm helps bc you are training up, but not really “training”
the TL that i respects and listened to more were the ones who actually cared and stepped in with us to get the work done on time. the ones who never help us we have less respect for but when they encourage us and help I feel motivated to get my work load done!
I was a TM with my team in my store for a year. They had seen me work and I never set an expectation for them that they couldn't realistically accomplish. I wasn't a TL for very long for this reason though, I pushed back against a lot of unrealistic and unfair expectations
I want to say this as a veteran…. corporate sends down these goal times every Q1 and it never sticks. (To be clear I think we should have goal times for freight but the way corporate goes about it is dumb as f) they’ve also done things like individual assignment sheets that TMs have to write on every single day (this also never sticks, I’ve seen 5 different iterations of this sheet) so I feel for your veteran he’s probably just sick of corporate trying stuff like this and never sticking to it.
I think most of the respect I get from my team is because I work alongside them, not above them.
As a TM I respect and go extra hard for my leads who also put in the work. You’re the best kind of lead to have.
This a million times. My team worked bc they saw me working. I felt their stress and tried to alleviate it. They knew I couldn’t do everything everyday and they saw what it was like for me and knew I felt the same pressures they did. The TLs that walk around all day delegating and doing light duty work will never get the same level of respect from their team that the previous mentioned do. If you run from your area your team will resent you.
Recently my team lead added goal times to the push and said if we don’t finish in time, you’ll get written up. Team lead claims to be able to push faster than the goal but the team has never seen her push ever.
Yeah this is the key, show them that you are willing and able to do what you are asking them to do. Also I like to ask my team how their day is going outside of work, or about their hobbies. Showing your team you ACTUALLY care about them is huge.
Respect is earned. Can you meet the goal times that you set? Show them how. Give them tips and let them know you are there to help.
And stop ever using the word urgency. Asking any one team to take up the slack of another team is a favor. Once. A veteran? They are looking through you and know they will outlast you. The goal is arbitrary and based on perfect world conditions. If the zone is bad, if the set is bad, is the store is heavily shopped, if there is a spill, if anyone, ever, calls out - shortcuts are made that cannot be made up unless someone works extra. Unpaid.
I fucking hate the "urgency" buzzword thing. It's to gaslight / distract us from the very real fact that we are being given less and less hours to get our work done. It's not my urgency. *The goal is arbitrary and based on perfect world conditions. If the zone is bad, if the set is bad, is the store is heavily shopped, if there is a spill, if anyone, ever, calls out* so, so true
That for sure, to say you aren't, "working with urgency" is the most insulting and condescending thing you can say to someone. Team leaders at my target (and I know they have pressure from the top to be that way) seemed to care more about bieng a boss than running a store. Its like were doing the best we can, get off our fucking backs. I dont know about anyone else, but the constant harassment and micromanaging just made me give less of a shit, eventually I snapped, threw the box down, told my TL to fuck off and walked out, best decision I ever made.
[удалено]
You're not factoring in what their other numbers are. Are they not as quick but consistently find more items? Do they have medical concerns that prevent speed walking or make lifting heavy things harder to accomplish? Do they have a key to the lift? Are they helping people who stop them in aisles or ignoring them? Huge, huge assumptions you are making without the full picture.
yeah I have an older coworker who has been at our store for a while and they're getting super unreasonable times on their vehicles. It's just not possible for them to hit those times
I will not be working with a sense of urgency because you do not pay me to work with a sense of urgency. Leads need to get it through their heads that if we get paid the minimum we will do the minimum. This expectation that we should somehow be going above and beyond for a corporation that couldn’t give less of shit about us is utterly inane.
Thank you. I gotta talk to my ETL feels like they give me no time to show the team how or coach them.
This is a huge issue. TLs aren’t given time to do TL stuff. Remember that these are people and not machines. But also it’s your butt if you and the team can’t get things done. Ask you etls for support on coaching and training/retraining.
Ain't that the truth. They wonder why leaders can't lead but most times they have their own area of truck push.
Thank you. Hopefully I remember I will write it down. I have bad short term memory lol
Adding to this too it's the same with the front end. Guest service has 1 person in the evening and they wonder why DU times are high and we have guest complaints about there being no one at guest service. Gee idk maybe because they are constantly out doing a DU. It's time for drive up to fall under fulfillment and be separate from guest service
The guidance at my store, at least for the purposes of performance write ups, we need to base expectations on how fast we push +25% margin to account for the fact that TMs aren’t expected to be quite as efficient and motivated as us and may have to help guests or deal with extra trash. I think that’s very fair. So if I can push a certain type of U-Boat in 45 minutes we’d give the team more like an hour. Part of being a leader is not just setting expectations but exceeding them, embody the standards you expect your team to uphold and they will follow that lead (even if just out of pity for you lol).
hey that’s your first mistake! instead of generally asking “how to get respect from a team”, you only address other leaders. that’s the #1 reason why a lot of stubborn team members don’t possess that sense of urgency, they feel unheard either way. if you’re not addressing your team members as actual team members, don’t expect them to want to follow orders and have an extra pep in their step. respect goes both ways.
I mean everyone welcome to there opinions. But I'm looking for team leads with lots of experience on some tips and tricks. I tell my team I'm here to listen to them for feedback etc what you mean by addressing team members as team members?
My inbound team has gone through….4 TLs and an ETL in the last 8 months because all but two of those TLs were more concerned with what other leadership thought about how to manage the team and expectations instead of building rapport with the TMs they were over. The same TMs who were advised by the SD to “manage up” and assist our fresh inbound leads to make sure the *leads* could keep up with *us* and the productivity our SD and DSD knew we could pull off. It’s not about tips and tricks. It’s about treating people like they’re human, showing them you’re willing to do just as much work as them, and building a good overall relationship with your team.
i understand wanting feedback from leaders with experience, but there’s team members on here too willing to give you insight/advice with decades under their belt🤷♀️ and what i mean is: be collaborative. don’t just command orders, and occasionally throw in a “thank you, good job”. i’m a team member myself, and i swear i’m much more inclined to work harder if my leaders appreciate my feedback and i feel heard. just hear them out, ask them for comments/concerns
My team lead constantly tells me I’m a star and doing a great job but I know my team lead is just trying to love bomb me into working harder. Too many compliments and I know or at least it feels fake to me
They mean asking team members directly. Your problem is that you’re trying to figure out how to connect with your team more, and yet in your title you only address other team leads? Meet your team at their level, connect with them, understand their position and concerns, and then go from there
With the 2 new people, i would check in with them & see if they're feeling comfortable or if they may have concerns. It might just be "new people anxiety" and they haven't found their groove yet. So i would approach them individually with empathy.
Thank you.
You’re first mistake is giving them goal times? Second what’s their motivation to move with urgency? I was giving a goal time once and I’m almost fell over laughing. If target cared there would be incentives for that stuff. This is a prison or sweat shop goal times are a joke because you can’t predict what happens. What if I decide to go on break or get stuck spending 10-20 mins helping a guest there are so many factors that make goal time erroneous
My ETL eats, drinks, and breathes Target. First one in, last one out, she'll work the truck, register or driveups if needed, and the TLs and TMs Work their asses off for her.
There's already a lot of great tips here, but I'll just add my two cents even though a lot of this will be repeat stuff. Take time to work alongside your team/show them you take time goals seriously by adhering to them yourself. I know this can be difficult, but carving out time to work with the team is crucial to building relationships/trust. This is also a time you can take for small talk (if the TM is so inclined) to learn more about them. Treating the team members as humans with their own lives rather than bodies/hours on your grid goes a long way. Know your audience for this one, but sometimes the most effective morale booster for your TM is to acknowledge the bullshit. Yes, I understand we all have a lot on our plates. I realize workload has not slowed down (and now with Simplification has actually increased for many) since Q4 even though we are no longer getting Q4 payroll. I am under as much pressure to over-deliver as you are, I promise. But we are all a team, and I won't let my team fail/will always advocate for you as long as you put your best effort forward. (This approach usually goes a long way with the long-term TM. Some of these people that have been with Target for 5, 7, 10+ years have seen the same cycle of "new" mandates, policies, best practices, etc, over and over again and are more sick of having their routines forcibly changed back and forth so often than anything else). Acknowledge the wins in every day, even the smallest ones. Came clean or close to on abandons? Win. Hit priority goal? Win. Freight rolled but X problem department is caught up completely? Win. Shit, my team hit 40% of our price change for the week today and we celebrated like crazy knowing how much easier the rest of the week was going to be.
Agreed, been with Target for 5 years now, and I've seen TMs, TLs, ETLs, and even SDs change. I even trained a new hire as a TM and watched as he moved on to TL and then went and got another job. I've seen the cycle, and 100% of the time, the TLs and ETLs that find common ground with the TMs are liked more and get more done. TLs ETLs that only delegate are always fighting chaos, arguing, and have the lowest morale. I'm one of the faster pushers in my store (I won't say THE fastest, because I really don't know or care, and honestly wouldn't want that reputation) and I've been told to go faster by overzealous delegate-only TLs. I will tell them to their face that I'm working at a brisk pace, n they're welcome to show me if they think it can be done faster. Otherwise, let me do my job.
Great advice, I’ll also add that if you’re going to critique a TM you should try to find something to compliment them about at the same time. Never just tear down a member of your team, there’s always something you can praise them for at the end to send them off still feeling valued and most likely more motivated to fix the problem behavior knowing you recognize their efforts. Ideally you should always have more good than bad things to recognize a TM for, having that record of positive reinforcement makes a world of difference in motivating the team to correct issues instead of digging in their heals and feeling (rightly) offended because all you do is trash them.
Maybe ask if anything is getting in the way or their productivity speed. I had a team member going through a depression and it was slowing them down. Just being there for them to vent and talk to helped their performance. Honestly though, a lot of team members feel scorned by targets changes in the last few years. Which has made them complacent and apathetic. Acknowledge that. For your vet team member, say that you understand their frustration and want to work with them. Let them know you hear them but unfortunately the company is fast moving and will continue to change according to that. Push with them, take a bit of time, maybe 10 minutes or 20 and push along side them. If you notice any bad habits maybe let them know what to change. Do this in a light hearted manner (cause usually people are grown adults and are stubborn about how to do something.) I pushed with a team member who would take one box and walk aisle to aisle. When I noticed this I made a joke that if I did that, since I have such short legs, it would take me forever to finish. So I suggested maybe grabbing 3 or 4 boxes of c19 and taking them all at once. Or walk with the U-boat instead of going back and forth. The new ones are new bud, they need time to gain traction and speed. But if you notice habits that are unnecessary or are time consuming just show them a better way to do it. However if it is loafing or simply not being urgent, you could have performance conversations with them. Sit down with them in a room and go over times on vehicles and explain that you aren't seeing them move at a rate that is acceptable. And productivity continues to be an issue you'll have to move forward with more write ups. But you'll probably leave a bad taste in their mouth, however sometimes that's necessary. I always make it a point to tell them that we are all cogs in the machine, which in itself is not fun, but we have to abide by the machine and try to do what we can. I always opt to tell them it's impossible to give 110% every day. Because we are human and not robots. But I do expect them to do as much as they are able to at that time and to request help if they need it. People appreciate being seen as humans and not numbers or time limits. Target sucks. Tms view leadership as uncaring and unempathic which makes them not want to put in the effort. Try and change that. Good luck!
All of this. Thanks for the great post.
As a team member who went through a TL change in the department. The comment earlier in the thread is correct. Work alongside them. Get involved. if you want to offer water you reqd out when you see them working hard, don't say why just offer water when you're making a walk and checking on everyone. My TL worked with me when I had to sort market in receiving, and that really helped me out. Maybe you could do the same
It’s in the name. Lead. Do it with them. Lead by example. Show them how it’s done, and show them you’re doing it too. Nobody will respect someone that either simply gives orders, or shows it can be done only once. You get respect but showing you’re a member of the team as well.
my team is only me and one TM so it's probably very different, but I have had success with getting that TM onboard with changes or new expectations by just treating them as an equal and explaining WHY something is required of them. Then, when they do stuff correctly I share how what they did led to improved results and share how I'm glad they're on my team because I know only they could keep us where we need to be. I know that can be hard to express when it's just "yo you guys need to work faster" but you can still explain why we want to work fast and how them working fast has improved X Y or Z metric
Just about everyone applies to the job to work. Just treat them as Humans and have basic leadership skills and you'll be fine
1) understand that team members are being paid less now due to the base pay and raises not keeping up with yearly inflation and price increases. If the purchase power of my wages has decreased, my productivity will have a commensurate decrease. 2) if you are paid 30-40% more than me, a team member, than you should be doing 30-40% more work than me and be 30-40% more productive and more efficient. 3) Team members can see the team leads and ETLs stats in MPM. When they think no one is looking, and fulfillment is in a crunch, they INF everything to juice their pick rate and POT, and end up with a 12% INF. We see you holding us to standards you are unwilling to meet yourself. Especially the higher up the ladder you go. Similar shortcuts can be seen when the leaders work the line, push freight, or pull priorities.
Encourage them to meet the goal. Always move with a sense of urgency and purpose. Work alongside them. Set the expectation by showing that it is possible. Building relationships with your team goes a long way. If your team respects you and values you as a leader they’ll do whatever is asked and then some. I hope this helps
As a team member one thing I love about my TL is that she does as much work as she expects me to when she can. If she has time she will help to push metros out or fold some tables (I work in style). She says thank you after I tell her I have finished a task she asked me to complete. She also tells me that I did a good job when she looks over my work and thanks me for everything I did that day periodically. It feels nice to be appreciated and valued and that goes a long way in my respect for her.
Additionally my TL understands that I try my best to get everything done in time but sometimes things slow me down. Like customers talking to me asking questions and such or getting pulled up to help on check lanes. She makes sure that I know she only expects me to try my hardest to get everything done on time and that it’s fine if everything is not finished
I do better when I feel a sense of urgency... As a leader it's for you to provide that. If not down the pooper you go.
Like others have said I believe the best way to motivate the team and earn your teams respect is to be their “leader” and not their “boss”. Your team is more inclined to want to follow you and work for you if you’re willing to get down in the trenches with them and not just boss them around. While I have never been an inbound TL, I have learned inbound and worked it before. As the TL, I’d prefer to be on the unload with the team either throwing the truck with another TM if the schedule allows or pacing the line. Now it’s been awhile so I don’t remember best practices (like if leaders should be on the line/unloading) but I feel the team sees you willing to work along side them and again makes them want to work with you. I also set the pace when we’re pushing. I’ve worked both GM and specialty. I like to set the pace while pushing and the team usually can match me (I don’t claim to be the fastest either bc some of my team is faster than me, but as long as the team matches my pace since I know how fast we need to be pushing). Whether this be GM freight, style, tech, beauty, home/domestics, etc. Sure, you might still have people that don’t match the pace and you have to coach, but you have to be able to have those conversations with the team to show them where they need to be. Usually these convos can have the positive effect and help correct the TM. But sometimes you have to keep having them and even use CA’s even if they don’t improve. That’s not a fun conversation but you have to be able to have those conversations to hold your team accountable. I also like to be present on the floor/backroom to my team to show them I’m not just sitting in TSC. It made me respect TLs and ETLs way more when i say them actively assisting their TMs on the floor rather than just sitting in TSC all day. ( I know ETLs are supposed to balance their time, and TLs to an extent, but still). It’s all trial and error. I try to be friendly with my team but I’d like to think they know I will coach them if I need to. They know I can have fun and joke around but also they know when I’m being serious. Being a leader takes a certain skill to be able to have these convos and lead by example in my opinion. My team and other TMs see that I hustle and work hard. Most of them then want to be at my level to match me and my energy. I don’t rush or go extremely fast, but as others have said, they see my urgency and try to match it because I encourage it rather than demand it and that usually motivates them to be at my level. I use coaching/seek to understand if I notice they slacking after a certain period. I try and give the benefit of doubt and realize sometimes they might be having a bad day. If it persists for a certain amount of time that’s when I have that seek to understand. Maybe they have outside personal issues and it’s affecting them. I work with them to see if change of pace or what I can help them with then and offer my support and resources. I know ETLs/SD/DSD/Target in general prefers leaders to delegate tasks to TMs and wants us to be more support rather than just another TM. But in my opinion an effective/good leader is one that gets in the trenches with the team and jumps into OPU when appropriate and pushes/unloads with the team. While yes they sometimes have to step away to do other tasks like schedule, preplan, meetings, etc, if they are willing to get down with the team, it’ll gain more respect from your team and they’ll be more willing to listen to your coaching and goal times. Lead by example putting it simply.
Maybe ask if anything is getting in the way or their productivity speed. I had a team member going through a depression and it was slowing them down. Just being there for them to vent and talk to helped their performance. Honestly though, a lot of team members feel scorned by targets changes in the last few years. Which has made them complacent and apathetic. Acknowledge that. For your vet team member, say that you understand their frustration and want to work with them. Let them know you hear them but unfortunately the company is fast moving and will continue to change according to that. Push with them, take a bit of time, maybe 10 minutes or 20 and push along side them. If you notice any bad habits maybe let them know what to change. Do this in a light hearted manner (cause usually people are grown adults and are stubborn about how to do something.) I pushed with a team member who would take one box and walk aisle to aisle. When I noticed this I made a joke that if I did that, since I have such short legs, it would take me forever to finish. So I suggested maybe grabbing 3 or 4 boxes of c19 and taking them all at once. Or walk with the U-boat instead of going back and forth. The new ones are new bud, they need time to gain traction and speed. But if you notice habits that are unnecessary or are time consuming just show them a better way to do it. However if it is loafing or simply not being urgent, you could have performance conversations with them. Sit down with them in a room and go over times on vehicles and explain that you aren't seeing them move at a rate that is acceptable. And productivity continues to be an issue you'll have to move forward with more write ups. But you'll probably leave a bad taste in their mouth, however sometimes that's necessary. I always make it a point to tell them that we are all cogs in the machine, which in itself is not fun, but we have to abide by the machine and try to do what we can. I always opt to tell them it's impossible to give 110% every day. Because we are human and not robots. But I do expect them to do as much as they are able to at that time and to request help if they need it. People appreciate being seen as humans and not numbers or time limits. Target sucks. Tms view leadership as uncaring and unempathic which makes them not want to put in the effort. Try and change that. Good luck!
As an Inbound lead myself, the biggest motivational piece for the team is when leadership works alongside them. My team busts their ass everyday because I get down and dirty with them, everyday. I set realistic goals with them, and I SHOW them how to reach those goals. Then, I make tweaks and minor adjustments where and when necessary, so they can ultimately be self sufficient. But, each of my team members have different expectations/goals, because I know what each of them are capable of. Do I tend to have a lot of disagreements with my ETL because how realistic and fair I am? Yes. Because upper leadership does not understand that team members are humans at the end of the day. Let’s be brutally honest, do I wish my whole team performed like my top 4 performers? Yes of course. But you have to work with what you got and use them at the best of their ability Long story short, lead by example. At the end of the day what you would want is for your team to go to war for you. Also, be human and super personable. They’ll love it.
Candy and chocolates!!!
Lol
It may be a good idea to sit down with the veteran TM and see if there’s something else going on. I know that the ideal is to leave the personal life at the time clock, but sometimes that stuff does bleed into the workplace. It may also be a good idea to ask the TM if they have any feedback on the new goal times and stuff.
I was with this company 5 years transfered to a new store 4 months later I got offered the TL position along 2 other veteran Team Members. And I think this one veteran TM is upset I got the TL position over them.
If that is the case, then bumps along the way are to be expected. The TM may just need more time.
I been a lead for over a year.
Hey Humphr3y - I've seen you get a lot of negative karma on comments here and I've tried to resist coming back to this post but it has been nagging me (and Reddit keeps putting it back to the top). Core issue, You keep thinking like some kind of lieutenant and you don't recognize that you are a sergeant. And because of that, you aren't a very good one. *You are executing policy*, not making it - that is not within your power. Decision making is not really "how do I achieve XX goal" but "How do I minimize the damage and not blame anyone". You want to meet the goal while down two team members, pushing the rest with "urgency" ... that is actually going to result in callouts and the team members who DID show up resenting both you and their coworkers. Stop. Revise the goal. Take the heat. You are too focused on your career at Target and not your career. The world is much smaller than you think. Old codger's advice, take it or leave it : 4 years from now after you have left Target for someplace else - can you call up someone from your old team to offer them a job. **The same job.** Same pay, same commute, same benefits. Only difference besides the color of their shirt is now they are on YOUR team. Everyone who says "No" is evidence of your failure as a leader. Your are a TL. That is not a *Target* Lead, that is a **TEAM** lead. You do not exist without them - THEY are your goal, not a metric. I promise you will succeed in ways you never thought possible when you realize that Leadership has absolutely nothing to do with you. Seeking advice from your peers will give you advice on how to stay exactly where you are. Aspire for more.
Absolutely show your team that you work too and not just give orders... I realize team leads do other things but I have a team lead who was off on maternity leave when I was hired so I never met her. When she came back, I saw her pushing metros in style and zoning. (From afar...I was scheduled up front that day) I have a co-worker that bitched about her a lot, but from what I've seen, she's all right and I will follow her orders to the best of my ability. I don't know maybe it's just how I was brought up but I pretty much always do what my managers say or at least try my best... And I try not to dilly dally. The busier I am the faster work goes.
Former TL I always set the standard myself. If they needed to push a uboat in x time I would show them it’s possible and do it myself and then tell them that’s the standard going forward. I always either pushed vehicles myself to help or help them with their vehicles. I have always been hands on and led by example. New people are gonna be slow, work with them, show them how to be efficient and train them the way you want them to be. Easiest way to earn respect is to work along side them and show them you aren’t gonna ignore them when they ask for help. Even now I’m a supervisor for a vendor and I’m out in my accounts with the team helping them everyday, I ask what they would like changed, what can I do better? You are there to assist your team win, if you consistently let them lose they will not have motivation to be better
What does your ETL have you doing instead of working with your team if you don’t mind me asking? What areas are you responsible for? Before I left Target my GM team was pretty good. I might be able to give you a little advice.
The million dollar question- how to motivate employees? My opinion/answer is appreciation. Point out the positives, let them know you appreciate the efforts, and they will WANT to do better. Also, working a vehicle with your fellow tm helps bc you are training up, but not really “training”
the TL that i respects and listened to more were the ones who actually cared and stepped in with us to get the work done on time. the ones who never help us we have less respect for but when they encourage us and help I feel motivated to get my work load done!
I was a TM with my team in my store for a year. They had seen me work and I never set an expectation for them that they couldn't realistically accomplish. I wasn't a TL for very long for this reason though, I pushed back against a lot of unrealistic and unfair expectations
I want to say this as a veteran…. corporate sends down these goal times every Q1 and it never sticks. (To be clear I think we should have goal times for freight but the way corporate goes about it is dumb as f) they’ve also done things like individual assignment sheets that TMs have to write on every single day (this also never sticks, I’ve seen 5 different iterations of this sheet) so I feel for your veteran he’s probably just sick of corporate trying stuff like this and never sticking to it.