Unconventional Success: Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without a Degree

” Essay: Work Based”

My earlier years in management taught me to be the person I am today. I saw the reward for my contribution to my staff and company alike. My peers believed in my leadership role, and my team looked for guidance. My professional career is flourishing beyond imagination, yet this helped me personally, too.

In 1989, I was working two jobs.  My main job was in a restaurant at a deli and catering at The Crescent Hotel. I decided to look for another job so I could make more money.  The second job was at a retail gift shop, W.H. Smith, in the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Dallas.  I had no direction in life during this time, nor was I sure what I wanted to do. I would help the store manager out by working at one of the other locations in the Fairmount Hotel.  By this time, I had been with the company for about six months now.  On this particular night, two gentlemen came into my store.   One gentleman had purchased a newspaper and dropped twenty-five cents on the counter, and both guys walked out of the store.   Within ten minutes, both guys walked back into the store.  One of the guys came to the cash register, and the other gentlemen walked behind the counter.  At this time, I thought I was going to get robbed.  They introduced themselves to me as one was company security, and the other gentleman’s name was Marc; he was Regional Vice President. The VP left his business card and wanted to speak with me next week.

I called Marc the next week, and we met at another location in downtown Dallas.  He wanted to offer me a position as a supervisor.  I accepted the job. I had never had any experience in this field, but I was up for the challenge. With this position, I had to communicate efficiently with my staff and peers.  This position helped sharpen my skills quickly, but I was not afraid of learning.   Within three months, I had five stores in the downtown Dallas area that I had overseen.  I quickly learned how to organize each location by enhancing my problem-solving skills by working with each store’s staff.  I had to learn to have strong leadership skills to be able to communicate written or verbally with my employees.

At that time, I had fifty-plus employees working under me. I had to create a positive relationship with my staff to achieve my sales goal for each location. I had to display strong leadership skills in directing my team to the best of their ability. The key to success was training my staff very well and taking the best interest in them. I could not do what I have done without my team.

In my leadership role, I had to follow and establish policies we all had to adhere to.  As the leader, my staff was watching me, so I had to set the right tone by example.  I had no experience in retail or managing people, but it seemed I walked right into my position as if I had been doing this for years.  Our business focuses on excellent customer service as a top priority.  I had to be the driving force for sales results to meet our weekly budgets or exceed our sales goals.

I believe this career direction was the best for me.  I was able to build self-confidence, which opened many avenues that gave me a sense of belonging and helped me contribute to the success of W.H. Smith.  In my district, the Regional Operation Manager, Julie, was promoted to Florida as the Regional Vice President.  In a few months, Julie called to offer me a position at one of her locations. Well, that became a war between the two Vice Presidents, so Julie had contacted the President of the company about the situation.  He informed both Vice Presidents that whatever Greg wanted to do would be the answer.  The sales results and my work spoke volumes within the company.  I accepted my new position at the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida.

I found this challenging because I had no safety net to fall back on, family or friends.  I only had two choices, to succeed or fail; failure was not an option for me.  The stores were losing money with a shrinkage of eighty percent and had a lack of trained staff with no leadership.  The stores were not meeting their sales budget. I had to assess the location to see what my employees knew in their position and manage the daily operation of two stores and a warehouse with a sales volume of $1.5 million. Fifty percent of the business was men’s and women’s apparel. I reversed the declining sales trend and increased profits from 25% to 45% within three months.  With the dedication of my staff and training, I knew we could turn this location around within three months, as it took many hours.  I knew I could not work day and night, so I needed to train my supervisor first.  While having them trained, I was also seeking assistance from the group.  I emphasized to my staff that we are all equal regardless of race, color, gender, and religion.

I have never completed high school or even went to college.  My success was surrounding myself with good people and on the job training, and my peers believed in my abilities.  My reward was to bring the best out of people, by watching them succeed and flourish beyond their imagination.  Reflecting over the years of my accomplishments has set the tone for the person I am today. Dedication!

Written by: Greg MD