A taste of the 'real world.'

Discount Store News, June 23, 1997

KANSAS CITY, MO. -- As invaluable as the experience was for the students participating in the Hallmark Cards/SIFE International Exposition and Career Opportunity Fair, the participants were also given a taste of the "real world." And some of it was bracing. The dose of reality was provided by company execs from the ever-competitive retailing industry, which shared with the students some of the challenges of the working world.

"Each of the speakers in their own way reached the students with concepts that will help them in life," said Alvin Rohrs, president of SIFE. "The students I talked to were very excited about what they learned from the speakers. They came away with lessons that you could put in your wallet and carry with you."

While speakers are not paid to attend, the SIFE program still attracts a high degree of prominent speakers. This year was no exception, and executives from some of the country's major companies were in attendance, including Payless Cashways, Wal-Mart, Kinko's and NPC International. Speakers from these companies shared their ideas and insights regarding today's workplace.

"I believe that the demands placed on professionals are much higher today than they used to be," said Susan Stanton, president and coo of Payless Cashways, who presented her views on the contemporary workplace, something she said has changed significantly since she first entered it.

"There are fewer managers, you will encounter an increased work load; the decisions you need to make have increased, and it has to be done by a smaller number of people," Stanton said. "We realize that this is not a picnic. It is possible to have your job and responsibilities with you at all times."

With companies nationwide conjuring up ways in which to trim their expenses, Stanton warned of how professionals in the workforce have to deal with "leaner and meaner places to work." She also mentioned how her own company created a marketing slogan around this idea.

"Our company's current tag line for our marketing, television and radio broadcast is, `tough place to work, great place to shop,'" Stanton said. "We presented it first to a number of employee focus groups. [The employees] endorsed it and said, `That's right; that is the reality of our jobs.' They appreciated recognizing that publicly."

On a different note, Tom Coughlin, executive vice president of Wal-Mart, gave an overview of what leadership is--something he learned from Sam Walton himself, he said.

"There is an abundance of managers and administrators in the workplace that you're going to find out about very shortly, but you will find out that there is a shortage of leaders," Coughlin said. "People will follow the leadership--the courage you show--more than they will any title."

Leadership was also the theme taken up by Joe Hardin, who recently resigned as president as Sam's Club to become president and ceo of Kinko's. He cited the challenges that a leader must overcome to be successful.

"Servant leadership is built on the premise that people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care," Hardin explained.

What he referred to as "servant leadership," Hardin explained, is the type of leader who "removes obstacles that prevent employees from doing their job. They must share their knowledge and explain it to those they lead, and they must use effective delegation and follow-up."

Gene Bicknell, chairman of the board and ceo, NPC International, summarized for the college students the degree of difficulty they will face as they build their careers and how it will be well worth the effort.

"Success may have an ill-effect on your health; it may have an ill effect on you family life, on your private time, on your longevity perhaps. Perhaps success can be a great sacrifice," Bicknell said. "The price of success is tremendously stressful. But my friends, the price of failure is inexcusable--and is intolerable."