A "Ten Minute" Meeting

As soon as  I went in yesterday, the boss informed me that we'd be having a ten minute meeting at 2PM.  I asked, Who's holding it?  He said, I am.  I said, Then NO WAY will it be ten minutes.  (He does have a sense of humor.)  He laughed and said he really was going to try to keep it to ten.


He managed to keep it to 30-- which is good for him.  He thinks of so much to say.   Anyway, he told us the expectations of our new DM.  First, he let us know that the new guy was impressed with our store.


Praise the Lord!!   Praise the Lord because I've been praying that things would look up and that we'd get back into a position that we were not looked on as always being not good enough.


Then I must also -- as the manager did in this meeting-- commend my co-workers (and me) for doing the work that brought us up to the level that we could "impress" someone when they walked in.   It has been a lot of work and there has been a whole lot of stress accompanying the work because we were not given extra hours to complete the extra work piled on us.  We had to add that on to what was expected of us already.


Anyway, the list of things to do to please the new DM was given out with the admonition that we wanted to get them done QUICKLY so that he would see that we were not slow with compliance.   None of it was stuff that can't be done quickly so that was good.  


But one thing he wants done is for each of us to have our departments scrutinized weekly by a manager and for us to "take notes" on any items they see that need to be corrected and do it before the next week.    So not too long after the meeting, I was given my first walk through to scrutinize the condition of my department.   I now have a list of things that need to get done before next week.   For example, dusting the ridges on the counters.  (That's the middle piece that runs across the top that holds the peg boards together.) 


Now that the pressure is off of us, my manager doesn't seem to be such an "unreasonable" guy.  He's happier.  We're happier.  The stress in the store is down.   Things are just better all the way round.  It makes me sad that his house hasn't sold, because if his house in Missouri doesn't sell before July, he'll go back there and look for another job.