With the announcement of JK as you’re CEO I thought it fair to let you know what you are getting. Your town hall meetings will feel like a beat down, JK will take bad sales and rip you apart and he inspires nothing but trepidation. Expect reorganization that forces you to work under the worst conditions. Expect him to bring leadership in that will destroy moral and all hope to enjoy coming into work everyday. He is an awful CEO and not one single person was upset to see him gone from Academy Sports and Outdoors. He destroyed everything our company used to be and we can only hope our new CEO will fix the mountain of crap JK is leaving behind. I truly am so sorry the Petsmart has so desperate to end the 9 month searching that they settled on JK. Start looking for a job now. We went to through 4 layoffs in 18 months under him. HUndreds of top talent let go because he could not lead or pick the leadership properly.
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There is no Job today that is not expendable, it amazes me today how people think that companies owe you something -
You select the company that you want to work for
You agree to a set rate of pay
You are given a realistic job preview
You agree to do the job
If you perform
You get more money and have larger opportunities, if you do not perform
You have to start the above cycle over again - Thata why You will have 15+ jobs on your resume -
Prior performance is an indication of future performance.
If you put more positive focus and improve your skills and performance You would feel more confident you will have a job -
A slacker is always worried -
Opinions everyone has one.
For those that do not understand Business - Nor have ever worked for a Fortune 500 Company they would not understand how a CEO must guide and evolve a company, a family owned company at some point must evolve - and yes the culture will change, when JK 1st got to Academy he asked everyone he came in contact what the culture was at Academy they everyone so loved - NO ONE could describe it.
JK never lost sight of the most important part of Academy (Its people) Every leader knows it takes Great people what ever you wish to call them (Team or Family)
My Academy In-sight:
When I 1st started at Academy I seen VP’s, DM’s Store Directors and Managers that have only worked for a Family owned business their entire career some more than 20 to 30 years, I seen store teams that were Against change, team members (family) that did as they pleased, stores running as many hours as they wanted, Store conditions that would remind you of a Dollar General and service levels that matched. Store directors and some DM’s that did not understand a P&L, and many of the above that had no idea of talent acquisition or what good talent looked like. VP’s that only selected Yes talent to lead districts / stores that would provide no constructive feedback or ideas for positive growth.
Any company is only as good as its leadership and people
I have worked for several Fortune 500 companies and also have worked for Academy for over 5 years and still do.
With the economic conditions that exist today, the shift from brick and mortar to on-line, a company must find ways to cut costs, run more efficiently and build a strategy that will help the company evolve. If not you will be like the many out of business or on their way out - (this equals no job for the team or family)
Change is a part of business in today’s ever-changing cycles it is needed to evolve.
JK is a Good Leader, he happens to be in a position that affords him little time to make the decisions necessary to provide the performance results any retailer must have to grow, and as unfortunate as it is that drive for expected results will case change and there will be people impacted - some that are under performing or have never been held to a High expectation will take it personal.
Harsh, but true. If you have even the slightest suspicion that your job is expendable, or that you might have too many people on your team, buckle up and get that resume together. Expect the first round of layoffs in early fall, after you have the holiday strategies baked. It will start with a chat that your company is a team, and not a family.....and we have to call "balls and strikes" on each other.
Unfortunately, I agree with the original comment. The company he left behind is in disarray, and only now starting to regain momentum we lost the moment he walked in our door.