Act As An Owner Flashcards
Core behaviors of Act As An Owner
- We take a holistic company-level point of view and don’t let departmental or short-term interests get in the way of long-term suc-cess.
- We value frugality in that we treat the company’s money and resources as our own.
Tell me about a time where you uncovered a need for the company and what you did to solve it.
Situation: While working in my role, I observed that team members were handling an overwhelming number of incidents and not addressing them promptly, which negatively affected customer service.
Task: Recognizing the need to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction, I took the initiative to address the issue and find a solution.
Action: I approached my manager and shared my observations, emphasizing the impact on customer experience. A policy was impletnted that limited the number of incidents each team member could handle at a time to 15. This allowed for better workload management and ensured that incidents were promptly addressed, providing customers with timely support.
Key takeaway: This experience highlighted the importance of proactive problem-solving and open communication within the team. It underscored the value of continuous improvement and the willingness to take ownership of identifying and addressing issues for the betterment of the company.
Walk me through a time where you were confronted with a decision that was better for the company but required you to make a sacrifice. What was the situation and what did you do?
Situation: I was working as a shift lead at Starbucks, and our opening manager had the opportunity to advance in her career by becoming a store manager. However, she couldn’t take on the new role until we found someone to consistently open the store at 5 am.
Task: The company needed someone reliable and responsible to take on the early morning shift to allow our opening manager to pursue her career growth. It required me to make a sacrifice and step up to fulfill this role.
Action: Despite not being a morning person myself, I recognized the importance of supporting my colleague’s career advancement and ensuring the smooth operation of the store. I volunteered to take on the responsibility of opening the store at 5 am, which meant adjusting my schedule and waking up significantly earlier than usual.
Result: By stepping up and assuming the opening shift, I enabled our opening manager to transition into her new role as a store manager. I consistently arrived at the store around 4:15 am, ensuring it was ready for the day and allowing the store to open on time. This decision not only benefited the company by maintaining operational continuity but also demonstrated my commitment to teamwork and supporting the growth of my colleagues.
Give me an example of a time where you saw something wrong or an opportunity outside of your direct area of responsibility and what you did about it?
Situation: While working in my role, I observed that team members were handling an overwhelming number of incidents and not addressing them promptly, which negatively affected customer service.
Task: Recognizing the need to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction, I took the initiative to address the issue and find a solution.
Action: I approached my manager and shared my observations, emphasizing the impact on customer experience. A policy was impletnted that limited the number of incidents each team member could handle at a time to 15. This allowed for better workload management and ensured that incidents were promptly addressed, providing customers with timely support.
Key takeaway: This experience highlighted the importance of proactive problem-solving and open communication within the team. It underscored the value of continuous improvement and the willingness to take ownership of identifying and addressing issues for the betterment of the company.
Example of a time in your career where you had to change how you operate to accommodate colleagues who relied on you?
See answer regarding taking on opening shift
Tell me about a time when took ownership over something that you didn’t have authority over.
Situation: While working as a shift leader at Starbucks, I noticed that the cleaning schedules needed some updating and tweaking.
Task: Recognizing the need for improvement, I took it upon myself to come up with changes to the cleaning schedules, even though it wasn’t within my formal authority.
Action: I approached the store manager and expressed my interest in taking ownership of the cleaning schedules. After discussing my observations and proposed changes, the store manager entrusted me with the responsibility.
I revised the cleaning schedules by making them more structured and assigning specific tasks to different shifts and team members. I communicated the importance of cleanliness to the staff and held regular meetings to address any concerns or questions.
Result: By taking ownership and making the necessary updates to the cleaning schedules, I was able to enhance the overall cleanliness and organization of the store. Team members became more aware of their responsibilities, leading to improved adherence to the schedules. The store’s environment became more pleasant and inviting, positively impacting both customers and colleagues.
Tell me about a time when you took responsibility for a failure.
Please see answer regarding making an outbound
Tell me about a time where you had a deadline to meet for your customer or stakeholder that required assistance from your colleague or team member who was not holding their weight.
Situation: I was working on a project with a deadline to meet for an important customer . However, one of my colleagues or team members was not contributing their fair share of effort, which was impacting our ability to meet the deadline.
Task: Recognizing the urgency of the situation and the need for collective effort, I took action to address the issue and ensure the project’s success.
Action: I approached the team member who was not holding their weight and initiated an open and honest conversation. I expressed my concerns about the impact their lack of contribution was having on the project and our ability to meet the deadline. I offered my assistance and asked if there was anything I could do to support them in completing their tasks or if there were any challenges they were facing that I could help address.
Result: By addressing the issue directly and offering my support, I aimed to motivate and encourage the team member to step up and fulfill their responsibilities. We were able to work together to find solutions and identify areas where additional support or resources were needed. Ultimately, the goal was to ensure that the shift stayed on track and the deadline was met, meeting the expectations of our customer.
What is one time you saw something wasteful being done at work and what did you do about it?
Situation: I observed a significant amount of food waste at Starbucks due to inaccurate forecasting and ordering processes.
Task: Recognizing the issue I implement measures to reduce food waste and improve efficiency.
Action:
Gathered data: I collected and analyzed sales data and waste logs to identify patterns and areas of improvement.
I then Proposed changes: and revised the forecasting and ordering process to align with actual demand.
I revised the pars (the minimum quantities of each food item to be stocked) to ensure they aligned with the actual demand and sales patterns.
Regular monitoring: I consistently monitored food waste levels, reviewed sales data, and gathered feedback from the team to assess the effectiveness of the changes and make further adjustments if necessary.
Result: By implementing these measures, we were able to significantly reduce food waste while ensuring that we consistently had enough inventory to meet customer demand. The revised forecasting and ordering processes led to improved efficiency, reduced costs, and a more sustainable approach to food management.
(PL) Tell me about a time someone on your team failed or an outcome wasn’t favorable. How did you handle the situa-tion?
