2. How did Larson’s job as a supervisor prepare her to become a life coach?

Connie Larson was stressed—the jittery stomach, trembling fingers, what-am-I-going-to-do kind of stress—every day. Yet, despite the stress, Connie Larson went to work every day, appearing pleasant to customers and supportive to her sales team. This was a part of her responsibility as supervisor.
The stress came from the high sales goals set by her employer, White House Black Market. As a supervisor, Larson was in charge of tracking sales and ensuring that sales associates met their sales goals. These goals were set by the company, not the sales associate or the supervisor.
Intensifying the pressure was the fact that the company was constantly increasing sales goals and the pressure to meet those goals. Instead of two items per sale, the goal became three items per sale. Instead of a small bonus for a $300 sale, a very small bonus was awarded for a sale of at least $400. This is not uncommon in the retail industry; sales associates are generally given a commission on sales only if they exceed the previous year’s sales. If they do not exceed last year’s sales, they are paid only minimum wage. All of this, however, added up to stress. Stress for the sales associates and stress for Larson, their supervisor. Furthermore, as a supervisor, Larson was expected to stifle her stress and present herself as being always confident and level-headed.