I will share this.....

I had someone interview me for a magazine article in the US. They had a lot of questions that people love to ask me, so I figured I would share my responses with you...

1. How long have you been with Best Buy?

I have been with BBY for 10 years.


2. What positions have you held throughout your employment?

I began as a part time video sales person at Store 7 in Roseville. I became FT sales and Video Sr. before I left that store. I moved out to New York and held the role of supervisor in multiple departments, was a sales manager for several years, and then became a General Manager in multiple stores, most recently Store 599, Brooklyn NY.


3. How long have you been working internationally?

Coming up on a year now, about ten months.


4. What is your current title and what city/country are you located?

My official title is General Manager Global Asignee (otherwise known as Expat GM). I am based in London, England.


5. Are you working in a corporate or retail setting?

For the last eight months I have been working in a corporate setting. Though my job is absolutely retail based, we are in the business creation/development stage of our work right now. We are creating what the stores will look and feel like; once that work is done, out in the stores I will be!


6. Describe your language skills (Are you fluent? Or have you picked up some key phrases?)

I thought I was pretty fluent in English......but turns out Queen's English has some substantial differences! I guess you can say I have picked up some key phrases (football is not the football we know; the lew, not the bathroom; the carpark, not the parking lot; etc).


7. Give an example of a “cultural learning” that surprised or delighted you.

I guess the most suprising things culturally have been around employment practices. I had no idea how very different their work culture is than ours. All employees are on contract here. If I employee you as a part time employee on a 20 hour a week contract, you get paid for 20 hours, even if I only have you work eight. There are also a lot of other things that we have to manage differently, whether it is the amount of holiday (vacation) employees get, the machinery employees can use (Big Joe is not really a possibility), and even the store hours (six hours of sales on Sunday is all the government allows). That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how different the employment practices are here.


8. Name some key differences between U.S. customers and the customers in the country where you’re working.

I truly believe the customers here are very similar to our US customers. The expect the same thing (though it seems they are often underserved). They have different habits of how they shop and when they shop, but as we have seen in many countries, the customer just want to get the service they need to buy the right product and get all that they can out of it. That is where we can thrive!


9. How about differences in employees across various countries?

They have a different accent and they dress a little more proper. Besides that, they are as smart, unique, and passionate as my US colleagues I have spent so much time with. From an operators perspective, the level of pure talent and business savvy of the employees here is both inspiring and exciting!


10. How is Best Buy perceived in the country where you’re working?

Though many Brits do travel to the US, there is surpisingly little knowledge of Best Buy. Of course, there are people who do know of us, and thankfully, I have yet to hear a bad thing. Those people are all really excited about our entrance into the market. For the people who don't know us, they are in for a pleasant surprise!


11. Name some things that you think Best Buy must do to be successful as an international retailer.

First and foremost, we have to stick to our roots. Our culture and values can not sway. Those are things that have made us the retailer we are, and those are also the things that our competitors really struggle to replicate. On top of that, we need to take what we can from our US experience. 85% of what we do in every country is the same. We need to go into the store and execute the fundamentals. That other 15% is also really important. The other 15% is country specific, dependant on culture and customs. We have to keep it fresh you know! On top of all of that, we have our mantra......never settle on talent....ever.


12. What one piece of advice would you give to an employee who wanted to work in another country?

In order to accel in the international work, you have to be a good teacher. Focus on being a master in your role. When it comes to developing your values and how you deliver the customer and employee experience, focus your energy on growing from "living" to "teaching". Go onto EGO and print up the anchors for values and experience develompent. Focus on those behaviors that can make you the best teacher you can be. That is the majority of our role internationally.

13. What are a few things you miss the most when you are working internationally?

The hardest part is missing your family and friends. I miss my dog the most. Beyond that, there are little things - my Sunday Ticket on DirecTV - summer weather - the beach - my car - those kind of things. Technology has really impacted international travel positively though. Things like Skype and Slingbox help us through a lot of the tough parts!


14. When you are traveling, what are a couple things you absolutely need to have stashed in your travel bag? Explain why.

Good headphones - this is the key to happiness - whether you are watching a movie on the plane or listening to music on the IPOD, you have to have good headphones. Have you ever tried using the plane or Apple issued headphones for more than two hours? You might as well punch yourself in the ear.....it would feel the same. I alternate between Bose and Shure....depending on my mood!

Your boredom buster (mine is Word Search books) -Find something that you can lose yourself in for hours at a time. For some reason, I can do word searches for hours. Some people have crosswords, some people sudoku, some people read. Find whatever allows you to time travel.

Work permit/visa - Don't just assume because your passport has a whole page dedicated to a visa that their government gave you that you are all set. They still expect you to show more at immigration! When you are just arriving after a red-eye, somewhat incoherant, and don't have the particular paperwork they are looking for, they love to have a good time with you!