4. Within each topic area, what primary questions does she need to ask? What types of questions described in Chapter 6 will be most effective in meeting her goals? “Not bad for a 20-year-old,” thinks Gina deSilva.

“I’m the youngest store manager in the history of Platinum Sounds. With this job it will take me a little longer to get my degree, but I won’t have to take out student loans and I’ll leave school with some real management experience. That should make me lots more employable after I graduate.”

Gina knows this job won’t be an easy one. As a start she begins a mental “to do” list of the people with whom she needs to interview.

● Clarify Marty’s expectations of me. Now that I’m store manager, Marty (the regional manager) will be my boss. I don’t know him very well, and I need to understand what he wants me to do.

What are his priorities? What problems does he see with the store? What does he think of me?

Better find out.

● Hire assistant manager to replace me. Interview Rashid and Samantha, the top candidates.

Rashid is more experienced and sociable, but can I count on him to put the store first when it conflicts with his band? Samantha is very serious, but her in-your-face style rubs some clerks the wrong way. Can she learn to be a little less aggressive?

Also, I need to be sure that whoever I hire is committed to staying with the job for at least a year.

● Hire two new clerks. We need to hire two new salesclerks really soon. What skills and attitudes are we looking for? How can I handle the interviews to be sure we get the best people?

● Schedule performance reviews. At Platinum Sounds, semiannual performance reviews are a requirement.

They also help determine who gets salary increases. Most people view these reviews as a stressful chore. How can I take the stress out of these interviews and make them really work for the company and the clerks?

● Figure how to cut employee turnover. We’ve had to replace 7 of our 10 salespeople in the last year.

I’m not sure why so many people have left.

Training new staff takes a lot of time, and new people don’t serve the customers too well until they have figured out our routine. I need to talk with the three old-time clerks who are still here and the new ones. Maybe I should also track down people who left the store and find out why they quit.

● Do market research with customers. I know sales have been off since Mega-Hits opened in the mall. I need to talk with our customers to find out how to keep them here. I also need to track down customers we’ve lost and find out how to get them back.

● Become the best manager I can be. I know I take things too seriously, and I’m weak on the financial side of the business. I need to find people who are good managers in retail stores like this one and see what they can tell me about how to do a good job here at Platinum Sounds.