Profile Of An Operations Manager

Processing payroll, generating schedules, tracking NOP and updating the P&L tree; these things may not be familiar to most people but to an Operations Manager at Best Buy, they're a daily task. Best Buy is one of the largest (and still growing) electronic stores in the retail industry. Lots of people don't realize how many different roles in a retail store are needed to have the store work properly. From a cashier to a General Manager, each individual role plays an important part in the functionality of the store. Every employee has to work together like a football team. The managers are like coaches, always motivating and encouraging; while the hourly associate are like the players.

Being an Operations Manager (OM) is a lot harder then it may sound. Since this occupation is a salaried position versus an hourly position, an OM usually works a 60-70 hour work week. During the holiday season it can be as much as 70-80 hours a week. I was fortunate enough to get to shadow a current OM for a few days so I could see for myself how demanding and time consuming this career is. Alan Bomey, the OM of a local Best Buy recently sat down with me and let me pick his brain.

"Not all people can become an OM. You have to be a very motivated, and dedicated person." said Bomey. "About seventy percent of the day, the OM is responsible for keeping the team motivated to succeed and do the best they can." This is what's called: Sales Floor Leading. During one particular day I shadowed Mr. Bomey I was able to witness and participate in this. While Sales Floor Leading the OM role-plays with some associates (if it's a slower day), speaks to each individual about what they've sold that day, and if they were able to meet each customers unique needs end-to-end.

"This job is not a great job to have if you don't like being away from your home and family. Since most of the week is spent here at work, you have to make sure you're committed to coming in everyday." Bomey informed me. Mr. Bomey recently obtained his Bachelor's degree in Business Management and is living with his fiancй. When I asked him what his fiancй thought about all his time spent at work he replied, "All the time we spent apart was very testing at first, but we adjusted to it and it's working out for us perfectly."

As an OM at Best Buy, there is a weekly business rhythm that is followed; every Sunday payroll must be processed. They have make sure everyone properly clocked in and out for each of their scheduled shifts, verify that benefits and sick hours were put in for the week, and re-class any labor that needs to be. Since Sunday's are the beginning of the week, every other Sunday the OM revises and updates the Customer Centricity Cycle report (a CCC). This CCC will help the Operations department single out their areas of weakness for the past 2 weeks and work on correcting them.

Mondays at Best Buy are usually the slowest days of the week, so this is the day a lot of Performance Management is done. "On Mondays I have a one-on-one with each of my supervisors.