A Day In The Life Of Leader Of Training And Development Dave Bussiere

Many companies claim they have a commitment to promoting from within, but Dave Bussiere is proof that Quick Chek stands behind its words. The 25-year company veteran joined the convenience chain as an assistant store leader and over time, has risen up the ranks to become a store leader, district leader, director of operations, and, finally, head of training and development — the role he's been in for the last five years.

Now, Bussiere spends his days ensuring that all of Quick Chek's 2,800 employees get opportunities to advance, like he did, and he helps each one reach his or her career goal. It's a job he loves, and the passion and excitement that exude from his voice are contagious.

"One of the things I enjoy, and I enjoyed even as a district leader, is helping people to develop and helping people, in general," he said. "I am now a coach and supporter for 126 stores. I touch so many peoples' lives and can help them get somewhere, and that's what I love doing."

For Quick Chek, developing future leaders and lifelong employees begins on the very first day of training. In most cases, new employees start by attending the "Quick Chek Experience" class, a mandatory, eight-hour instructor-led course where they learn what they can expect from Quick Chek, what Quick Chek expects from them, and the chain's philosophy on serving customers.

"We don't employ a full-time instructor for any of our training classes. We want employees to get a mix of perspectives," Bussiere explained. "Having the real-world experience from 12 to 14 people who live it every day is invaluable, and these people have all worked their way up through the company. We have great stories here to tell about people working themselves up, and that's one of the key messages we try and get across during these classes."

On the day of CSNews' visit, Bussiere was in charge of leading the class, along with District Leader Flip Amado, a 21-year company veteran. About 48 "Quick Chek Experience" classes are taught annually at three locations: the support center in Whitehouse Station; a classroom attached to a store in Hazlet, N.J.; and a facility in Newburgh, N.Y. The classes are taught by Bussiere, Vice President of Human Resources Bob Graczyk and all 12 of the company's district leaders.

Knowing that many of the individuals in the room are thinking this is just a temporary job, Bussiere posed that very question within the first five minutes of the class, asking the participants to show by a raise of hands how many are there simply for a temporary job to make a little extra cash; how many hope this is something more; and how many are unsure.

"You might be starting as a part-time team member, but my job is to get you where you want to go in the company. We can help you get there," Bussiere told the group.

The company's mission — "A Great Place to Work, A Great Place to Shop and A Great Place to Invest" — was one of the first things the new employees learned, and this served as a roadmap for the rest of the class. Each participant was given a pocket-sized reference card displaying the mission, as well as Quick Chek's six Core Values:

• Strong Leadership
• Total Customer Dedication (TCD)
• Act Like the Owner
• Be the Best You Can Be
• "Play to Win"
• Caring

To further drive home these points, the trainers played a video featuring actual Quick Chek team members and store leaders talking about how they act on the core values every day. The video included additional interviews with customers speaking about why they shop at Quick Chek.

"It's not easy to do this every day, but we have to keep trying," Bussiere said.

The morning portion of the class also included an exercise called "Pick a Policy," where each table was given a policy to research and then presented their findings to the group. Policies covered included purchase discounts, social networking, cell phone use and tuition assistance. On the topic of tuition assistance, Bussiere shared with the group that Quick Chek sent him back to school to get his degree in human resources. His cost was nothing.

After lunch, the class reconvened and the focus shifted to the customer. Quick Chek empowers its team members to solve any customer issue without having to ask their managers first.

One of the scenarios posed to the new hires was a customer who comes in with a gallon of bad milk, but it's from a competitor's store. Instead of sending him or her back to that store, the trainers said employees could give the customer a gallon of Quick Chek's milk for free.

Meanwhile, if it's a gallon of Quick Chek milk that's bad, the trainers challenged the staffers to think outside the box — or gallon, in this case. For instance, on top of giving the customer a new gallon of milk, they could also add in a free box of cereal or a $5 gift card for future use.

"It's not always about making money. Sometimes, it's about the bigger picture," said Bussiere.

STAYING ON TRACK

Aside from the "Quick Chek Experience" class, Bussiere is responsible for many other aspects of the company's training and development. All employees have their own development plan that lays out specific steps for them to grow, and it's his job to ensure they stay on course.

"The people we have out in the field are our greatest resources. We have so much talent out there, but sometimes they don't tell us they have the talent. We have to find it," he said. "The development plans show us who is moving up the system and who has the potential [for more]."

Once a year, usually in the winter, Quick Chek delves further and goes through a nine-day process called the Leadership Growth Assessment (LGA), something Bussiere believes is unique to the retailer. Store leaders fill out a personnel review for every employee they have, and then come to the support center to explain what they're doing to develop each person.

In these meetings are President and CEO Dean Durling, Senior Vice President Mike Murphy and various senior team members, including Bussiere. As he noted, it's the responsibility of every store leader to develop their people and give them opportunities to grow (which may or may not mean advancement, as some team members are happy in their current roles). "If a store leader is not doing that, then they're failing to do a part of their job," he said.

The traditional Quick Chek hierarchy is: team member, shift leader, department manager, assistant store leader, store leader, district leader and then a support center position.

Most of the chain's store leaders have worked their way up. Anyone who wants to become a store leader has to be approved and enter the Leader in Training (LIT) program, which also falls under Bussiere's purview. To get on the LIT list, the candidate has to go through what's called "the roundtable discussion," where he or she is brought in along with their store leader, district leader and the director of operations for that half of the company. "We all sit in a room and make our commitment that we're going to give them all the support they need," Bussiere said.

Once a candidate is placed on the LIT list, he or she can apply for an open store leader position. Most times, there are 30 to 40 people on the list, and Bussiere is in charge of keeping track of them and ensuring they progress according to the plan laid out at their meeting.

While Quick Chek most often promotes its store leaders from within, on occasion, the opportunity arises to grab talent from other companies or from the pool of recent college graduates. These hires become "Fast Track Leaders," which means they move very quickly through the training process, usually completing all their training within three to six months. Bussiere is responsible for keeping tabs on these soon-to-be-leaders throughout this process.

During the afternoon of CSNews' visit, he went to the store where one of his Fast Track candidates was training to check up on his progress. The candidate's finish date is coming up this month. "I have to make sure he doesn't get derailed. That was the commitment I made to him," he said, noting there are five to 10 Fast Track candidates in the pipeline at any one time.

Even though Bussiere has four employees working under him — two at the support center and two in the field — he said the most challenging aspect of his job is not having enough time in the day. He would like to spend more time in the stores, seeing the people he supports.

He's quick to add, though, that he gets a lot of support from the senior management team, and said there's an absolute commitment from the top down to training and development.

"The big picture is good training and development leads to lower turnover. People will stay with you if they have opportunities to grow. People will stay with you if they understand their job. And people will stay with you if they're treated well," he said.

Not only is Bussiere a prime example of what's possible at Quick Chek, but his family is as well. His wife, 25-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son are all part-time employees. His daughter is an assistant store leader, while his wife and son are team members.

"I would not put my wife and my children in a company that was not a positive environment," Bussiere said.