JK is a good leader

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.

Posted by @ThVpeL1-genx.

Comment! It's anonymous!

3 replies (most recent on top)

Boot li---r

Soooo disagree! I have also worked for large retail orgs, including Academy for almost 10yrs and JK was a piss poor leader. He brought in WMT’s “B Team” and proceeded to eradicate all who made ACademy great as well as abandon Academy core values. He made global decisions that offended our core customers and while business continued to death spiral, he spun his word salad in Town Hall meetings, as if his “jazz hands” would dazzle the masses into delusion. Academy lost loyal customers, in addition to all the tribal knowledge that walked out voluntarily or by force. Max Gochman, rest his soul, would be mortified.

Your wrong in my opinion. I would love to understand the position you hold at Academy. JK destroyed Academy and will do the same at Petsmart. He hired poor leaders and the people that spoke up and had the passion and leadership to ensure Academy survived got escorted out of the building. All that is left are the Yes people as pertains to the management level. Leaders in charge of teams that cannot lead nor even know how to instruct the teams on how to do the job because they do not know how. Please don’t give these people false hope on what to expect. I too have worked with top retail firms and nothing JK did even slightly resembles how those companies are ran.

Thread regarding PETsMART Inc. layoffs

JK is a good leader

3 replies (most recent on top)

Post a reply