MY JYSK JOURNEY

Datum: 24/01/2017

Becoming District Manager in less than a year!

”For success we need great amount of desire, trust and cooperation!”

In JYSK we believe that people are those who create a successful company, so personal and professional development of our employees is very important to us. One of our brand lines says ”Bring dedication, meet possibilities!”, which in a right way shows that with great dedications, desire, effort and hard work every goal is reachable. We bring a story about promotion and development of our colleague Milan Stevanović, District Manager in Serbia.

Milan has been working in JYSK since June 2015, when he started his JYSK career as a Store Manager in Jagodina, city in South Serbia. After 11 months, his potential and dedication brought him to the position of District Manager, when he got the responsibility for optimizing sales and results, as well as securing the quality, which JYSK offers to our customers for ten stores in this region.

Below you can find out more about challenges which Milan now faces day-to-day, what are the favourite parts of his job and how does he lead and motivate his team.

How did you get a job in JYSK and how did your first workplace look like?

When JYSK posted job ad for Store Manager in Jagodina, I applied instantly and after two rounds of interviews, I got the call that they chose me! First couple of weeks I spent on training with two colleagues, Hajnalka in Subotica and Marina in Slavonski Brod. When I first came to my store, I was overwhelmed how well the team embraced me - they really gave me their full support. I remember I was surprised how well everything is organized and how JYSK treats people. Regarding my workplace, at first everything seemed scary and there were so many obligations, but soon I became better in my knowledge and all the efforts paid off.

How did your typical work day as a Store Manager looked like?

We used to meet half an hour before opening hours to have some coffee and chat, share our experiences, make a joke or two and start our day in a relaxed atmosphere. After that, everyone started with their daily tasks - I usually prepared reports and replied to the e-mails while my colleagues were with customers from the beginning. When I finished with my morning routine in the office, I joined my colleagues and spent the rest of the day with them and our customers.

When did you know that you are ready for the “next step”?

Actually, since I started working in JYSK I wanted to be District Manager because that’s similar to what I have been doing in former company and it was a job I really enjoyed. When JYSK posted job ad for DM, the only thing I was worried about was can I even apply, am I working long enough with JYSK. When I found out I can apply, I did it right away because I knew chances were good. Of course, my wife gave me her full support from the beginning and helped me in preparing for the way of life that was ahead of us.

As a District Manager you manage a lot of people. What do you think are the most important things for successful and compact team?

What is really important, and I don’t lack it, is a great desire to have strong and dedicated team. Besides that, crucial things are trust, mutual cooperation and respect among every one of us.

What is the favourite part of your job and what is your biggest challenge?

Favourite part of my job is communication and cooperation with all of my colleagues in our company. As it was from the beginning of my JYSK career, I was once again thrilled with amount of support my team showed me. For now, my biggest challenge is to show to everyone in my team that we all included have to believe that we have to learn every day, work hard and work together to be BETTER TOGETHER. Fortunately, I’m surrounded with excellent people from who I learn new things every day, who show me trust and with whom every challenge is easy to overcome!