7 takeaways from a week with Love's University

Training great travel stop managers; A look inside Love’s University

Special to the blog by John Carpenter

Love's University was back in session last week. Travel stop managers from across the country journeyed to the Love's corporate campus in Oklahoma City to receive an education in Love's studies. This comprehensive training program provided participants with valuable information about subjects ranging from recruiting to leadership to merchandising and everything in between. The mission of Love's University is to prepare managers to lead their teams and their stores to success. There are different Love's U sessions designed for travel stop managers, country store managers, restaurant managers and tire care managers.

As one of the corporate employees who attended this session, I saw firsthand what Love's U is all about. Sharing this experience with some of Love's newest GMs provided me with a view into their day-to-day world and a greater respect for what it takes to get their jobs done.

Here are a few takeaways from my time as a Love's University student:

Call the Guinness Book people. Love's U is constantly evolving to fit our GMs' needs. It trained a record 28 travel stop managers and two corporate employees.

Sunup to sundown. The days ran from 7 a.m. until between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. Then it was off to dinner, which ended around 7:30 or 8 p.m. Repeat until you're a Love's U graduate.

No goofing off. Counting breaks and lunch, we had a total of 60 minutes each day when we weren't in class or participating in an activity. Calling it intense doesn't do it justice.

But wait, there's more. Subject matter included Love's culture, recruiting, training, time management, prevention and loss, leadership, restaurant services, tire care, safety, merchandising, facilities maintenance, technology, and communications. That's a partial list.

Customer service is job 1. No matter who the presenter was, the message was clear: we're in the customer service business. It's what allows us to excel at what we do. Everyone – vendors, competitors, job candidates – are potential customers.

A bowling pin, an orange and a chainsaw. Love's GMs juggle an enormous number of tasks and responsibilities. It's a GM's ability to balance delegating duties, keeping team members engaged and staying on top on everything thrown at them during a shift while also maintaining a focus on our customers that determines her or his success.

It's all about the people. Regardless of the roles, the people filling them make the biggest difference. On top of everything else, GMs are constantly on the lookout for good people to help provide our customers with unparalleled service.