Since I am new to Whole Foods, I have been trying to understand the thinking that runs this place. I have heard a couple of catch phrases, "assume positive intent" and "incremental progress" Both ideas seem to lead to reactive management. Anyway, what are your favorite catch phrases?
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One team one dream was the most sickening.
Especially when our stl said we werent saying it passionately enough and expected us to do group football style huddles, hands in and everything. practically swallowing the mic at store meetings when he screamed it. The same $hit and fake tears and pow wow speeches about the commercials. Now THAT was a waste..
That and "Have you asked your coordinator?" HAH!!
Due diligence = sucking d-ck.
The entire gig book. It's only use is how they can fire us. The "language of the business" is especially a joke.
Due diligence.
As in the person interviewing against you did better due diligence and dispite being less qualified and experienced thats who we are going with.
After the interviews I found out this due diligence included baby sitting for the team leader and going for jogs several time a week with the ATL.
But you know it's a learning experience and you have to trust the process. It is what it is.
LOL Yes, they loved "It is what it is." Hey did you ever regularly hear this whopper: "Hmmmm. They're not having the problem at any other stores." Then you would find out through your own contacts/research that the exact same SH** was going on all over the place. I remember confronting this one clown who tried that line and said "Cut the crap. I know from talking with X, Y and Z that they are having the same problem so let's work on solving the cause of the issue instead of trying to blame me for it." That shut him up real quick. I guess at that time I was not ready to "move forward."
You haven't worked in the South region until you've heard "Make it happen" and "It is what it is".
Ive seen people move into TL positions in the company,who could barely read a regional merchandising planogram,solely on their ability to use this bullshit corporate speak and blame tm for their faults..such TL could really put together the "reach out,sense of urgency,we empower,moveforward,go big or go home" sentences together long enough tobstay in their positions for a couple of years til some number crunching or team member harassment charge did them in..
Bravo to NeverLookingBack. Isn't it funny how we in the South used to tell ourselves that it was different in other regions? As if Global gets a pass for allowing the sh*t show to go on for years in the South? Now we know that it's the same everywhere. Nothing the South did or is doing happens without it being permitted by Water and John. If they don't know, they should know. As a member of the admin team at my store I saw it all. Bad planning, constant mistakes, horrible and downright vicious responses to the most basic or simple questions, constant confusion and muddled communication, conference calls where the leadership just promised whatever people wanted to hear at the time and asked us to stay fluid, reach out with any issues and try to move forward, all while passing blame down, stealing credit for our ideas when they finally were forced to admit we were right all along. Remember when we had to do a FULL STORE inventory every month for most of that one year, because regional screwed up the initial one? How much money and time did that cost? That's right, instead of 4 inventories that fiscal year, we did 10. Let's all try to move forward but not hold ANY of the top leaders accountable. And David and Ken, why did you REFUSE to answer the question about this on the Town Hall you held? Several people wanted to know where was the accountability? That's issue #1 of about 500 I've written down. We'll cover more later as we move forward. With great Love (and effervescence), Straight Outta the South
FdpQTEC-1tej: PERFECT! Spot on to the 100th power. I'm going to just cut and paste exactly what you said so everyone can read and understand it...............................The "going forward" or "moving forward" one kills me the most..it seems it is applied to situations where somebody made a bad decision(regional,STL,Tl,etc) and they don't really want to root out the reason why the bad decision didn't work or enforce a little bit of accountability upon the upper crust..so they come out with "moving forward" which means-we will gloss over this mistake and do another hack approach..
First, let me say that I left on my own accord, and not through a severance package. I wasted a decade with that place. So glad to be gone! I couldn't stand what leadership became (what I had become!) after the past 2 years or so. These comments are hilariously perfect in every way! It really is one of the biggest Mind-warfare settings one could subject themselves to. Its taken me a month to learn how to do my New job without feeling stressed and scrutinized 24-7. My new colleagues think joke about me being traumatized. I tell them, they have no idea. You don't realize how bad it really is until you leave. Pretty amazing how the South Region President hired all of his friends and family into numerous positions throughout the company. Unethical MUCH?! Ask the guy how well the New stores he. (mostly) picked are doing.....what a joke. Pretty awesome watching your ASTL's running around snapping video and pictures of team members black mailing them for their jobs to save with labor cuts. Can't think of a more Hostile workplace to work in now that I think about it. Talk about a decade long brainwash! If you are reading this, Get out NOW while you can, before they find a reason to exercise their BS leadership agendas on you. Way to get rid of the thing that made WFM what is was, Mackey...THE PEOPLE. Even hippies know when they are getting the wool pulled over their eyes. Oh yeah, that core value about TEAM MEMBER HAPPINESS AND EXCELLENCE is a pIPE dream. Rewrite your core values to something truthful now that you crashed the place. Or let's not talk about hiring Store leadership that doesn't have any WFM experience (my favorite f up of them all from a leadership perspective) . When TLs /ATLs are training STLs, you've f*d up there regional folks! All of the Regional folks are jaded now, too. I'm told nobody can trust anybody in ATL and the stuff they said about the regional leadership group is also what influenced my desire to walk away with my hands up in the Air. No confidence in Regional/global leadership at all for anybody these days. Its a sad story for WFM. It will never be the same again for TMs or customers.
Keep driving it into the ground Whole Foods, keep...driving....
Good Riddence WFM. Thanks for treating everyone like they don't matter!
"With Love", (another stupid @$$ company phrase)
Captain Jaded (for good reason, too!)
Hey TL, how come you post the schedule on Sunday night? I thought it was supposed to be two weeks ahead, so that we could at least plan our lives in advance? You spend 40 hours on it, what the hell? Are we reaching out to you? Maybe we're not getting behind you're arrogance enough? Going forward, I guess our "questions and concerns" should just be thrown in the trash where they belong? What a joke #wholefoodsmarket #TeamWFM
"As long as we are fluid, we should be fine." What if I'm liquid? -Apparently you have a bad attitude.
We need to build an impactful display of Starkey Water. #wholefoodsmarket #starkeywater #christinaminardi
Get behind it! Reach out with any questions or concerns. How about a reach around? Corporate BS. #TeamWFM
Let's all reach out to Christina Minardi. #wholefoodsmarket
Jane Mueller LOVES the "dog and pony show." Jane's coming to town, we need to bust out that dog and pony.
"We'll give them a dog and pony show." -All team leaders.
Reach out. To who?
Have a good attitude? -You have a bad attitude. #wholefoodsmarket
"Build trust"
"Whatever you tell me will be kept confidential"
phosfluorescently transform high-quality supply chains to efficiently streamline scalable sources that can energistically embrace standards, while being compliant catalysts for change that will seamlessly enable bleeding-edge benefits to holisticly deliver performance based paradigms...
And If you can't do that, could you at least, and only If you have time, (on the clock of course) Go F--- yourself? that would be fantastic. Thanks for coming in today!
Hey guys! I feel liquid! Let's get fluid! #wholefoodsmarket
I don't feel that team leaders have a "sense of urgency". - You have a bad attitude.
Why is my schedule completely different than what you said it would be? -You have a bad attitude.
Ask an honest question. -"You definitely have a bad attitude".
"Reach out with any questions or concerns." -So that I can completely ignore them, and trash you. Typical WFM team leader. #TeamWFM #wholefoodsmarket
Hey guys, what exactly can I do to improve the situation? -"You have a terrible attitude, you need to be more fluid." #wholefoodsmarket
Show up to work. -"You really have a bad attitude."
Let's get fluid and piggyback on our sense of urgency. Going forward, if we can just get behind it we will be fine. Reach out with any questions or concerns. Make sure to take ownership and be proactive. Let's give them a dog and pony show. SYNERGY! -Typical email. #wholefoodsmarket #scientology
The "going forward" or "moving forward" one kills me the most..it seems it is applied to situations where somebody made a bad decision(regional,STL,Tl,etc) and they dont really want to root out the reason why the bad decision didnt work or enforce a little bit of accountibility upon the upper crust..so they come out with "moving forward" which means-we will gloss over this mistake and do another hack approach..
"Bad attitude." The most vague and inane of all criticisms, yet it is the hallmark of WFM. #wholefoodsmarket
Hey guys, we are hemorrhaging money. -You have a bad attitude.
Trust the process
Question unethical, and illegal practices? -You have a bad attitude. #wholefoodsmarket #TeamWFM
As long as we are fluid, we will be fine. We just need to be more fluid guys.
Have a good idea? You have a bad attitude. #wholefoodsmarket
Maybe if they actually listened to all of the "bad attitudes" they wouldn't be in the current position that they are currently in. #wholefoodsmarket
"Bad attitude" -Anyone who has an opinion. #wholefoodsmarket
"Low hanging fruit " ...what the heck does that mean??? Doesn't sound good.
"Everyone is replaceable"
"Reach out"
"Opportunity"
"GET BEHIND IT"!
"Going forward"
Use their corporate jargon against them. Be as vague as possible, never actually say anything that can be interpreted to mean anything. Their Scientological approach to everything is going to come back to bite them in the ass. #wholefoodsmarket