To celebrate Advantage Front-Line Appreciation Month, we are highlighting teammates throughout August who go above and beyond to live out our values at Advantage every day.
District manager of field operations Valerie Hines-Thomas is known by her team for her genuine leadership expertise that has inspired others to grow personally and professionally. Starting out in the Philadelphia Walmart territories, then transferring down south to Orlando, Valerie has left her mark at Advantage over the past three years and is a prime example of what it means to serve with heart.
We recently spoke to Valerie about her career at Advantage, her goals and what advice she has for front-line teammates across the organization.
How would you best describe your current role and responsibilities? What does your average day look like?
The first thing I do each morning is call my store team leads (STLs) to check in and see how they are doing. Based on those conversations, I determine what store I want to visit first. I usually visit four stores a day, so it’s a balancing act and you must be very flexible. One thing that I like to do is, if one of my STLs really had a bad day, I pull them aside during their break and treat them to something to eat. I always want them to feel like they’re able to come to me and talk to me about anything. That’s what is important to me when I go out to see them.
What are your goals for you and your team for the next year?
I am on a major push right now for my team members to grow with the company. There’s so many avenues and opportunities, and I want to push them to the next level. For me, I’ll probably be retiring soon, for my folks that are younger and have a long career headed them, that’s really where my passion lies. I see the opportunities here at our company and Advantage gives you the opportunity to go as far as you want to go.
How do you connect with the people you’re working with?
My big message to everyone all the time is to always stay positive. There’s always a light at the end of any storm and if you give back and help somebody else, it will help you get through your own storm. Two things that I always encourage, speak positive and keep a smile on your face.
What leadership advice would you give to other district managers?
Well, first I like to find out what their personality is. I like to tap into that because as a manager, it’s important to identify each teammate’s strengths and then focus on that. If you see that they need more help in a certain area, you can begin to train and coach them to make them feel comfortable and welcome. You’ve got to find what works for you, and those are the things that I really emphasize, because everybody has different personalities and that’s what makes our team so great.
When you think of your time at Advantage, are there any specific moments that stand out as particularly impactful to you?
What stands out to me most is whenever I’m able to promote someone. I love seeing people excel, so that is always a great moment for me. I have one STL who was hired to lead one of our most difficult stores that’s in the heart of an urban community. She started at Advantage after moving from Brazil, didn’t know anyone and did not know how to speak English. I found out she had her MBA from school in Brazil and knew that she would go far in Advantage. Within the first six months, her store became one of our top stores and she was promoted!
What are some of your favorite things about your team?
We’re all like one big, happy family! I have an amazing team.
We have a “store of the month” challenge each month and all the STLs compete for who’s going to be the winner. As the judge, I look at: Is your backroom clean and welcoming? Are you compliant? Every month I choose an STL and reward them with a gift of something that I know that they like. The contest is something that everybody is really excited about, and we just cheer on each person throughout the year.
Those are the things that I like to do because one of the things that I’ve learned is if you treat people well, they will treat you well.
