Today the store managers from AbuDhabi and Dubai met up with me at PfChangs in Mall of Emirates for lunch. It was so great to see each of them one last time before I head home. I helped open most of their stores, trained their teams, and for a few of the store managers- even trained them almost three years ago when I was onboarding our first group of store managers in Columbus! I recapped my memories of opening up the Saudi Market with the manager from Dubai who went with me as my arabic translator and training partner. Another manager told the story of how I took her and the three other managers to Detroit, MI to train at Somerset mall and we went to the Motor City Casino because they wanted to "see the sights... in Detroit!" lol. That was a blast. We got lots of pictures, and Sherrellea gave a nice speech, then they all went around the table and told me the best memory of me working with them or their team. I was emotional because I really have met so many people, and spent so much time teaching them, and the thing that really got to me was when a few of the managers said "you are the reason I love this brand", or "you're the reason I've become such a good manager"... Those are my new best memories.
Funny thing- for this picture I was like "I'll be in the back since I'm so tall" and, as the middle east goes, they were all like "no no no- you sit down in the middle, and then the senior managers sat next to me, or were at the front! It was like "all you minions to the back!" lol. In the front row- left is the training manager Michele, me, Sherrellea (vp ops), Zalfa (Ops Dubai) Shaik (Ops AbuDhabi)
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Store Manager Goodbye's
Today the store managers from AbuDhabi and Dubai met up with me at PfChangs in Mall of Emirates for lunch. It was so great to see each of them one last time before I head home. I helped open most of their stores, trained their teams, and for a few of the store managers- even trained them almost three years ago when I was onboarding our first group of store managers in Columbus! I recapped my memories of opening up the Saudi Market with the manager from Dubai who went with me as my arabic translator and training partner. Another manager told the story of how I took her and the three other managers to Detroit, MI to train at Somerset mall and we went to the Motor City Casino because they wanted to "see the sights... in Detroit!" lol. That was a blast. We got lots of pictures, and Sherrellea gave a nice speech, then they all went around the table and told me the best memory of me working with them or their team. I was emotional because I really have met so many people, and spent so much time teaching them, and the thing that really got to me was when a few of the managers said "you are the reason I love this brand", or "you're the reason I've become such a good manager"... Those are my new best memories.
Funny thing- for this picture I was like "I'll be in the back since I'm so tall" and, as the middle east goes, they were all like "no no no- you sit down in the middle, and then the senior managers sat next to me, or were at the front! It was like "all you minions to the back!" lol. In the front row- left is the training manager Michele, me, Sherrellea (vp ops), Zalfa (Ops Dubai) Shaik (Ops AbuDhabi)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thank you Andy Mike for the wonderful time you've give me following your blog while you have been overseas. It's been better than any travelouge and so personal that I've actually felt like I've been there with you. No wonder your co-workers admire you, you have treated them with the utmost respect and put your heart into training them and experiencing their culture. Safe journey home. CUsoon. Love, Aunt Sally
ReplyDelete