Welcome to Part One of this new two-part series, "Elevating Culture & Performance with the Wizards," from Stories from the River. Host Charlie Malouf welcomes back to the podcast two return guests, Will Luke, Senior Director of Retail Operations and Project Management, and Kellie Jones, Manager of Retail Operations. They delve into the team's dynamic spirit, spotlighting the unique Gandalf award program that motivates peak performance amongst the Wizards across several key performance indicators. They discuss why having competitions and awards help the overall culture of the teams and motivate Memory Makers. And they highlight their collaborative team chat, which has turned into a positive way for everyone to share knowledge, build camaraderie and maintain connections.
The episode highlights intentional investments in team culture, including an in-person Retail Operations Rx gathering of the entire team— the first since before the COVID-19 pandemic. This memorable milestone gathering at their main campus in Fort Mill, South Carolina, aimed to enhance personal and professional development and readiness for future roles. Included in the training was a discussion on Principles vs Preference; Influence Training; and boundary training. They also talk about the department's impressive low turnover, employee retention rate, and advancement into other roles within the Company, attributing it to active engagement and involvement amongst and within the team.
Come back next week for Part Two of this conversation to learn more about Elevating Culture & Performance with the Wizards.
Episode Resources:
"The Science of Stuck" book by Britt Frank (for insights on boundary training): https://www.amazon.com/Science-Stuck-Britt-Frank/dp/1472293908
How great leaders inspire action (TED Talk by Simon Sinek): https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
Connect with Andrew Bartlett (Senior REM, Raleigh Reign) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bartlett-2107aa62/
---
This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Icjgje-h6xY
We hope you enjoy this episode and subscribe to our podcast for a new story each week.
Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes.
