Chef Dana Carlantone
Dana Carlantone Interview 1. Please describe what motivates you in your professional life. a. My Team Members are what motivates me to become a better leader. b. It is a true pleasure to work side by side in a never ending learning environment for both parties. 2. On a basic level, employees have needs like physiological requirements and a safe working environment. Beyond this, what does your company do to foster a sense of acceptance, recognition and maximizing potential? a. Listening to all ideas, the best ideas come from our Team Members. We have a diverse Team Member base and that is what makes us a well‐rounded company and store. b. Recognition and maximizing potential. i. Working side by side with our Team Member’s and appreciating them for all their hard work and dedication. Always laying out expectations and providing TM’s with the tools to succeed. 3. How does your company train employees (speaking generally, such as: 6 hours of general training, 1 week within their department, 6 months probationary, etc). a. We have many training programs. Ranging from department to store to company specific. We also have training materials that allows the new members to interact with Team Member’s throughout the store and familiarize themselves with the store layout. 4. Can you link good / bad training with employee motivation? a. At Whole Foods Market we believe in motivating our team members through positive leadership and mentorship. We want to set them up for success and give them all the tools they need to do their jobs. 5. How do you, as a manager, solve problems between employees? a. Since I am leader, I solve problems between team members as they happen. I never let anything go and fester. I talk to each one of them separately and hear them out. I then bring the Team Member’s together and have them talk and work it out, with me in the room. 6. What types of rewards does your company (and you as a manager) offer your employees? a. We have many different rewards for our TM’s. i. Appreciation week, a weeklong of activities appreciating our Team Member’s for all the hard work and dedication they show. ii. Team Member’s of the month rewards iii. “You Rock”‐ recognition, for a job well done. 7. How do you provide feedback to your employees? a. Direct and timely feedback, face to face 8. Does your company have policies in place so that employees are empowered and own their work? Please describe any such plan. a. Empowering Team Member’s to make decisions to satisfy customers is encouraged at meetings and through trainings. It is a big part of Whole Foods Market culture. 9. Does your company offer any benefit that specifically elicits employee motivation? a. Stock Purchase Plan, Stock Options, Great benefit package, Discount on Products purchased, Encouraging a healthy lifestyle with an opportunity to increase your discount. 10. How do employees advance within the company? Do any programs exist to encourage employee training and advancement? a. By applying for positions posted/available. i. We have development trainings that prepare Team Member’s for the next step in their career. 11. Briefly describe your leadership style. How did you come to use it? a. Direct, Positive, Always communicating, Addressing issues as they arise, Reliable, Great follow‐through and dedicated. Always working side by side with Team Member’s, showing them that we are in this together. 12. How does your company build teams? Do you have any instances of team members changing teams? a. We cross train, we have many Team Member’s that have started in one position and are now either in another position or another department. 13. What do you look for in an effective team member? Team leader? a. Eye contact, Hard worker, Dedicated, Creative, Team player, Great Customer Service and PASSION!