Growth

My name is Mark. I have been an Interim Manager here at Blinds to Go for about four months and at the company for a total of 18 months.

I am writing this blog in hopes to illustrate my growth, so far, at Blinds to Go. For someone new coming into BTG, it can be both very exciting and stressful time. Expectations for both yourself and your team are always being challenged. My initial start at the company began just like any other recruit. You spend the week at the corporate office in Paramus, New Jersey in which they foot the bill for lodging and a good portion of food. The growth I experienced during that week was honestly minor at best solely because I could not wait to meet my team that I would be starting with.

I quickly caught on to the introductory lessons of sales tactics and techniques. The one thing that really sticks out to me now reflecting back on that time is that I was so blind to what I was weak at. Soon after I began in store with my team I started receiving the same feedback constantly. Feedback is a vital part of growing here at BTG. The main reason is because you honestly cannot develop yourself or others unless you are able to identify the areas you or others need to work on. It took me six months to get to a point where I saw the urgency of making changes. Everyone has a different trigger or motivation that will drive them to this point. For the next five months, I concentrated on everything my manager put in front of me and what I could control.

At a little over a year was when I finally got the opportunity to take the next step into becoming an Interim Manager. Since being in this position for about four months now I have started to develop my own managerial style. Also, I have realized how important it is to establish a bond with your team and keep them motivated. My struggles so far have partially been linked to feedbacks that I have been receiving since the start and also some new hurdles. The main goal is to make sure that you understand the feedback that is being given to you and being able to apply it. You can not be successful not only in this company but where ever you go if you are not open to change as well. BTG really does invest a lot in the individuals that work here from the bottom all the way to the top. I am proud to be part of such a caring, involved company. This is one of the main reasons I will keep on growing and pushing others to as well.