Stephen Cochrane, Store Director at Tesco Northern Ireland, describes his role with the retailer.
What’s your job?
Store Director
How did you get there?
I started as a student in Tesco at the age of 17. It was a Saturday job and that is where I fell in love with the buzz of retail, worked my way up through various levels of management in different stores across Northern Ireland before being promoted to Director in 2007.
Do you have a typical working day?
It depends on what day of the week it is. I generally work from my office Monday and Tuesday. These tend to be long days with back-to-back meetings discussing business critical information which varies from finance, marketing, commercial, property and local strategy. Wednesday through to Saturday I generally spend in the stores in my group catching up with the Store Managers and their teams.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Retail is a very fast paced and dynamic industry and no two days are ever the same. I love the speed of change and the challenge that that brings. I also really enjoy spending days in stores meeting new Tesco colleagues.
And the worst?
It can be challenging to get my work life balance right.
What other skills do you need in your role?
You need to be a great people person, a good communicator, a good listener, be able to make difficult decisions quickly, to be courageous and challenge the status quo when you know it doesn’t feel right for your people or the business. The ability to build a strong network inside and outside the business is important, as is being humble – very important.
What do you think are the greatest challenges/pressures of the job?
The greatest challenge is making sure that every customer who walks through the doors of a Tesco store gets an excellent shopping experience every time. This is challenging as there are so many components to a great shopping trip, for example, availability of the products customers want, ensuring every member of our 8500 in-store team give outstanding service every time. Another real challenge is ensuring that every one of our employees enjoy working for Tesco, because happy colleagues mean happy customers.
What advice would you give someone considering a career in your profession?
Go for it. Retail is a fantastic industry to be part of, especially in Tesco. Be prepared to work hard and which operates in so many countries and the opportunities to work in different areas are endless.
What did you want to be when you were at school?
When I was very young I wanted to be a car designer. That then progressed to wanting a career in banking – thankfully that didn’t work out.
What’s the most common question people ask when they find out what you do?
Oh I know someone who works in Tesco, do you know such and such….?
Why can’t I get a certain product in my store when you sell it in another store? Do you get discount on your shopping?
When you interview someone, what qualities are you looking for?
I look for people who speak from the heart, who give me great examples of leadership by sharing their experience. Too many people tell me what they think I want to hear by using buzz words and obviously text book rehearsed responses, rather than humility and real evidence of an individual who puts customers and employees first every time. Integrity and honesty are also very important and are key components in building trust within a team.
Do you have a killer interview question and if so what is it?
Not so much a killer question, but I like to ask “who inspires you and why”. The response to this question really gives you an insight into the individual.
How do you like to relax outside work?
I relax outside work by spending time with my wife and our three young children who are still at primary school. I’m also a keen cyclist.
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