A Year Of Marvels

Modesto, CapSquare – was there to celebrate the retirement of my right-hand neighbor; the Director Mr. Jan Vet and also another Operation Director Mr. Frans B. Earlier on, was a farewell lunch at the local Golf Club. The dinner buffet was good, the wine was good, the music suited the mood of everyone, conversations & laughter was flowing out non-stop...overall a very good camaderie.

All of the colleagues were very sad that Mr. Jan Vet will be leaving after serving the division for 8 eights. As I am a newbie and didn’t have the time to get to know him better, I didn’t feel anything at all :) We have less interaction as he will directly look for Leonardo most of the time; unlike the French with a more open concept where the bosses will look and communicate to the Division Manager & Category Manager at the same time. Here in G13, they follow the hierarchy line. There are pros & cons. I personally much more prefer a working environment with a strong SOP culture and inclusive decision making & communication systems. Then, the people will have a sense of ownership and feel that they are a part of the organization.  

As a matter of fact, I am also just looking forward to the new director that will be onboard soon and the new direction that we will be heading into the new year of 2013. Mr. Jan Vet has been a larger than life figure in the office, always dominating, clever and has clever strategies & movements. Under his stewardship, we all are in good position, growing & progressing. The team can still manage different types of recent tough scenarios – a volatile economy, the recent re-structuring of the English which produce a more aggressive & lean business model & strategies, the rise of the underdog; when the Japanese who recently acquired another 20+ stores of the French; this further elevate their position in the retail market - and yet, we still get the results; which is important. We can also defend in difficult conditions and his commitment to the group has been fabulous. I further admire his courage when he apologizes to Leonardo in public for calling Leonardo stupid is commendable.

I am fine with nothing changing at the moment. I would love for nothing to change…at the moment :)