When running a business, it’s easy for you to make the job a lot
harder than it needs to be. Just ask Mick Parker, president and
CEO at Village Pantry LLC.
“My background, my upbringing and my personality fits in well
in this convenience store business,” Parker says. “It’s not rocket
science. We’re just selling beer, Twinkies and gasoline.”
With a chuckle, Parker says that there is a bit more to it than
that when it comes to running a 1,400-employee, 170 location
company like Village Pantry. (The company does not disclose
annual revenue, but Dun & Bradstreet estimates it to be more
than $120 million.) But Parker stands firm behind the notion that
the essence of strong leadership does not need to be complicated.
“I don’t want a strategic plan that would take four binders on a
shelf and never get read,” Parker says. “I want it simple and
actionable.”
This kind of simplicity becomes even more critical in a business such as Village Pantry, where many of the employees earn
$8 an hour and are using the job as a steppingstone to other
positions in the future.
“You have to identify who your constituents are and make
sure that your overall goals align with their needs,” Parker
says. “For us, our mission is very simple. It’s to make Village
Pantry a great place to work, shop and invest. When I presented this to the organization, it was very clear on the order. A lot
of people will say customers come first. I’m a Southwest
Airlines believer. They believe in the people first, and if your
people are happy, your customers are happy. I’ve kind of
adopted that belief.
“I spend quite a bit of time talking about making this organization a good place to work and trying to align them on that. I
believe if your employees feel you are sincere and you are caring, and they believe that and then you demonstrate that, that’s
part of being a role model. I think other things fall in line.”
The key to making this work, of course, is being a leader
who your employees are willing to accept as a role model.
“The only thing that will convince them is delivering on what
you say,” Parker says. “Consistency. You can say something,
but until you walk the talk and deliver on what you’ve said,
you’re probably suspect. I’ll never forget the first day I was
here. I said, ‘I totally see where you’re coming from if you don’t
believe me; it’s my job to earn your belief and earn your
respect. We’ll do that through simplicity and consistency.’”
Parker says Village Pantry has been able to grow quickly
because the map showing where he wants to take the company is an easy one to follow. When new acquisitions come
into the picture, it doesn’t take much to get them on board
with where the company is heading.
Here’s how he does it.