1. Danielle Cresci Mgmt 235 Spring 2015
Supervisory Challenges
Daniel Stathas, age 21
- Current position: Second Assistant Manager, Safeway
- Years with company: 4
- Years in management: 3
The greatest asset available to those who grow within a company is mentorship from
supervisors, as well as learning from those around you. Daniel accounts his success to
making use of the resources and opportunities he was given to show and grow his skills
by supervisors. One of the most important tools that once can implement is that of self
assessment and reevaluation; it takes a strong and confident person to be able to assess
where they are in a situation, and how they can adapt or change to improve it. Daniel’s
tools are helpful for those trying to grow into a supervisor role because they pertain to
different situations and all encourage being professional, using perception, and
facilitating a positive outcome for all parties. What I most learned from our conversation
is that in many situations Daniel encounters he tries to balance what is company policy
and deciding what steps will actually resolve the situation. Daniel’s advice for growing
into a supervisor position is simple: be efficient, work hard, and develop relationships.
It’s advice that I can use in my current job, and apply it to future positions that I may
come into to succeed and be a strong leader.
Challenges
• DEALING WITH
CUSTOMERS
• ASKING FOR HELP
• DISCIPLING EMPLOYEES
Tools
• SENSING THE SITUATION &
ACTING ACCORDINGLY
• TIME MANAGEMENT,
DELEGATION & SELF
ASSESSMENT
• WRITTEN POLICIES &
PROCEDURES
Results
• POSITIVE CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
• IMPROVING
RELATIONSHIPS &
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
• RESPECT & WORK TO
FIND SOLUTIONS

2. Danielle Cresci Mgmt 235 Spring 2015
TJ Fonseca, age 27
- Current position: Store Manager, Safeway
- Years with company: 11
- Years in management: 9
My manager, TJ, is someone that I respect as my manager, and as a person. He started
for the company when he was 16 and worked his way up through adversity to becoming a
Store Manager within 5 years. His advice is important to me, because I know that it will
help me grow personally as well as professionally. The piece of advice that I will
continue to take with me is how to build a community and the importance of developing
employees. After all, a manager cannot be successful if they don’t have the support and
respect of their employees. TJ’s goal is to be a driving force to help empower employees
to exceed the expectations of their selves and reach max potential, whether within the
company or outside of it, which is admirable. Part of the philosophy behind this is that if
his employees are happy and feel that they are respected and treated fairly, they will
provide better service to customer and be an asset to the store. TJ’s advice to succeed are
be intelligent, have integrity, and gain respect from those you work with. He also
mentioned the importance of keeping an open line of communication with supervisors
and asking what areas you can improve in to further develop skills. This is sound advice
because it is relevant despite the organization I may find myself in.
Challenges
• TEAMWORK
• BEING FAIR
• MORALE
Tools
• COMMUNICATE WITH
EMPLOYEES, TAKE
INPUT
• EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
• ENCOURAGE
EMPLOYEES
Results
• BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT
WORKS
• HELP DEVELOP
EMPLOYEES &
DETERMINE HOW TO
HANDLE SITUATIONS
• WORK SMARTER, NOT
HARDER

3. Danielle Cresci Mgmt 235 Spring 2015
In Summary…
It was interesting to hear the different perspectives from two managers within the same
company who are at different levels in their careers. With Daniel being newer into
developing his career, his management level is more doing tasks and looking at short-
term goals to achieve. Whereas TJ is further in his career, he does more of planning and
making decisions based on the future. Both gave strong advice that I plan on
incorporating into my quest to be a strong leader within my organization (current and
future); the knowledge of how to balance what is policy along with what the situation
calls for, and the importance of strong professional relationships.
In addition to challenges that both have faced, I also wanted to know about what
challenges they saw their supervisors face, and what they would to in the given situation.
Daniel explained how it is important for someone in a supervisory position to not only
delegate, but also work with employees to achieve maximum results. This helps
employees see their manager isn’t afraid to do the work, instead of just demanding and
disciplining. TJ said the biggest flaw he has seen with his supervisors is inconsistency.
There are times when he was told to do one thing, then a short period of time later told to
do it a completely different way. He also explained of the inconsistency with how people
in the organization were treated, and how this causes tension and an unstable work
environment.
I find both Daniel and TJ admirable in the roles that they’re in, and the challenges that
they’ve had to overcome to get there. There are aspects of their advice that are invaluable
and will be good guidance if I come into situations where I might not know what
direction to take. I plan to continue to grow professionally by using the advice and tools
recommended, knowing that it will help me achieve my goals.