Ever Feel Like Your Director Doesn't Really Care?

[pampchefrhondab]

Warning - long vent!

My director is not consistent with sending out her newsletter, but usually does get one out via email each month.

Last month she mentioned our rep. from HO was coming to visit and was going to have an extra training for those interested in promoting to director. I was of course very excited about both. At the time I emailed her and even called her saying I would like to attend both. She didn't have the final time/location yet so I told her to email me the address, etc.

Fast forward. I got so busy this past month painting 4 rooms in my house and putting in new flooring in our four season room - finally after 5 years of living with only concrete, that I forgot about the meeting !!

I was talking to my director last week because I wasn't going to be able to make our monthly meeting (I've only missed about 3 since I started w/PC) since my husband and I were putting the floor in that day. She goes on to talk about how great the meeting was w/our HO rep. She really likes her, etc. I say, "Oh my gosh, I forgot she was coming." I also said, "Did you send me an email with the address, etc.?" She goes on to say, "Oh no, I forgot since I was in Florida on vacation the week before." She didn't even sound upset about it and acted like it was no big deal she forgot. I went on to tell her I really could have used the boost since I'm really not into PC right now. I've had so many personal things going.

The more I have thought about this the more angry I get. I wonder why she wouldn't have called me and asked why I wasn't there when she knew I wanted to go!! It's not like she has a huge downline and I am one of her consistent sellers and sometimes top seller!

This is not helping me get out of my funk! I have got to stop thinking about it! But it makes me so angry she is making money from my sales but could really care less about supporting me! I'm not the only one who feels this way. I have a friend who was only 2 days from going inactive and she never called her, emailed her, etc.! I was not her direct recruit since my first director quit - big reason because of my director. She has a close friend who is a director in our cluster who she always keeps in touch with and would give her recruits so she wouldn't lose her directorship. My old director had to work very hard to stay active!

She is a very nice person and does respond when called. Just has excuses so many times when she doesn't get something done. Here she is the one who talked my first director into quiting. Saying if she is collecting the money from her consultants but not supporting them, she shoudl quit. Now I feel she is doing the same thing.

Okay, I'm done venting! Thanks for listening !

 

[chefann]

That stinks.Have you mentioned this to your Director? Not all the venting, but tell her that you don't feel like you're getting the support you need.

 

[jrstephens]

So, did she never email you the time and location of the meeting after you asked her to when she did not know the details? How did everyone know to go?

 

[katie0128]

I know exactly how you feel. Unfortunately, I can't give you good solution... that is unless your director decides to start another DS business, then tries to recruit you for this other DS, while she is on a PC sales exemption. Then I could tell you to call HO and let them call her! I would have loved to hear that phone call.

Anyway, I just learned to be fairly self-sufficient, made friends with a few sister consultants (we played director for each other) and started skipping my director and going to my upline (or here!) when I needed something. Come to think of it, that is about when my C-S addicition started... what a coinkydink!

 

[vwpamperedchef]

Unfortunately I can't relate. I am BLESSED to have an AMAZING director & friend...

Good luck with your situation............

 

[pampchefrhondab]

So, did she never email you the time and location of the meeting after you asked her to when she did not know the details? How did everyone know to go?

No, she never let me know. This was not just for her downline, it was the entire cluster for our Exec. Dir. - who is her sister. So some people did get the info. Sometimes I get the feeling she is tired of the business, but stays in it for her sister. Being that my upline is her sister makes it a little difficult to go up the ladder.

 

[chefsteph07]

Unfortunately I can't relate. I am BLESSED to have an AMAZING director & friend...

Good luck with your situation............

Ditto that!

 

[PamperedTammy]

WOW, that is too bad. I hope things go better for you!

 

[purrbal]

I really like my director she is very sweet. I have felt on occasion that she hasn't supported me in areas that I was unsure of but nothing like what you have dealt with. I recently did a open house show for her that I thought was a referral off her show but it was actual a referral off the website. Anyway after the fact she mentioned on those type shows she would have called the person and said we can do this two ways I make the goodies and invite people to come to the show -OR- you supply the goodies and get the bene's of the shows sales... I totally thought she got the benefits regardless of whether I supplied the stuff or she did. She was the most difficult person I have ever dealt with so this would have made things way easier had I heard of this choice to present the host with. -Bygones- I to this point have been more of a hobbiest cheffer but as I lose weight I gain more enthusiasm to get busy with my business and have no idea how to get it jump started again.

 

[stefani2]

ideaI love my D but I am noticing a trend - where she pretty much goes MIA for about 2 months of the year because she is dealing with personal issues (sometimes she gets into a slump, sometimes it is family reasons, etc. etc. etc.) She has forgotten to forward information on to me more than once but I tried really hard NOT to let it bother me. So, finally, enough is enough, and I asked my up-line if I could be added to her Email List - she just smiled at me (because she knew the reason why). Could you do that as well?

 

[chefjwr]

Directorhip sounds like a lot of work.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Directorhip sounds like a lot of work.

I am not trying to defend "bad" directors. We all know there are some that don't fulfill their agreement when they accept directorship.

I do want to say though that it can be difficult to balance things as a director. We want to be the director we wish our director was. We want to help everyone and be there when they need us. We aren't baby sitters. Our role is more of mentor - we've been where you are and we have tools available to us to help you grow. It is your director's responsibility to guide and support you but she shouldn't be expected to put forth more effort than you are willing to do. We also have our own business to run and most of us have families and many have day jobs.

If you feel that your director isn't supportive to you I would like you to ask yourself:
Have I ASKED for help?
Have I let her/him know that I would like more help or an occasional ear?
What does she/he offer the team? (Think about what she may be doing behind the scenes that helps you - sometimes we get in the mode of "I am not getting the attention I need" - anyone with kids knows that they feel that way and we all know what all a mom does - similar thing here.)
Has she/he told us what her/his office hours are?
Could I set up a weekly or monthly phone appointment with her and keep a list of questions or concerns to talk about then?
Have I tried to find any answers on my own at Consultant Corner and in other materials provided by Pampered Chef?


I know that most consultants just want a director to be there, to care. I had a director that didn't make me feel like she cared at all and it was all about her so I do know where you are coming from. As a director I try to be there for my team when they need me but I learned that it can't be 24/7. If I am it does make it look like directorship is a lot of work.

Just as a consultant needs to schedule time to get on the phone, work their business and do shows so too does a director need to schedule time to do all that and coach her team. If you are organized it is not that hard to be a good director.

 

[pjpamchef]

I feel the need to respond. More to defend myself than your Director, because I don't know the whole situation. What happens to me, is I e-mail, I phone, and no one responds. Or I have to listen to all the reasons they can't come to whatever I'm informing them about. After I have listened to all the busy things everyone is doing and putting asside their business, it gets hard for me to pick up the phone. I understand in your situation, this was a project that you tackled and finally got done, (I live in a 80 year old house, I know about projects). But, everyone has a project!!! Everyone has a lot of kid's activities, Everyone has a "good" reason they can't come to regional, or monthly meetings. It gets to the point where I ask myself, how am I suppose to act like Pampered Chef is important to these people when actually it is one of the lowest things on their list, and it feels like it is dropping all the time. I am guilty of not wanting to talk to my consultants. Not because I don't like them, not because I don't want to help them, I do!!! But because I am tired of hearing about all the reasons this isn't as important to them as it is to me. What I have done lately, and it's probably not right, but I have e-mailed them what's going on, and sent reminders, but this is a business and I shouldn't have to babysit anyone! I have told them over and over, "You need to call ME!" Finally, about the newsletter, I do not send one out every month because I don't think it's inspiring to my team for them to find out only a few people actually turned in shows. I'm afraid they will think it's OK to only turn in a show every other month because that is what the majority of them are doing. Trust me, if I have good news, inspiring news, I send a newsletter! As a Director, you need a mim of 5 ACTIVE consultants, or a whole bunch of semi-active consultants, and you are constantly bombarded with reasons why they aren't working!!! One thing I heard at Leadership one year that helped me was the leader of the workshop said: Remember you are leading an army of volunteers!! I don't mean to sound so neg. I'm just trying to tell you, as a Director I have limited resources (read: spirit) to go around, and if you think it's hard to take when a host doesn't return your calls or give your show the attention you think it deserves, imagine what it's like to have a consultant you think has what it takes and doesn't give her business the attention it deserves. My Upline tells me not to take it personally, tell me you don't when a host blows you off??? She also tells me this is why you need to recruit, recruit recruit, because it's like throwing meatballs against the wall, some of them stick, some of them don't. And unlike meatballs, sometimes it's hard to tell them apart!

 

[pampchefrhondab]

I totally understand where you directors are coming from. I see my director deal w/the same issues. She will send out emails and newsletters and HARDLY anyone responds. Not very many come to the meetings, etc. I am one of the persons who always responsds. Like I said in my post I have only missed about 3 meetings my entire 3 1/2 years in the business. Even when the meetings were a 45 mile one way trip. Now it's down to 30 miles one way! I have never gone inactive, taken a leave, etc. I have consistent sales and am one of the top of her cluster.

That is why it bothers me she didn't contact me about the meetings. I emailed a response saying I wanted to go. I didn't get a response back so I called and said, "I really want to attend both meetings is this ok." She was supposed to email me w/the location. Like I said even if I didn't make the first meeting she should have called me and said, "I forgot to send you the address, I'm sorry." "The next meeting is tomorrow morning, can you make it?"

When we spoke on the phone and I expressed my dissapointment of not going to the meetings she did say, "Oh, I was supposed to email you wasn't I?" So I don't think forgetting me was on purpose. I just feel she should have made a call to me after the first meeting or it would have jogged her memory that she didn't send me the info.!

I have been very independent in this business. I had to be from the first director I had. That is how I found CS! I get so much info. here and I prefer it that way. I don't want to take up a lot of my director's time. I know she has a life. I don't ask for much and don't call her that often.
From what she has made off of my sales, she is getting a much better end of the deal.

I think getting on my uplines email list is a good idea. I'm going to ask her to do that.

Thanks,

 

[BethCooks4U]

Rhonda,

My response was not to your posting. I don't know what more you could have done. You DID contact her. You have shown "interest" and you follow through. She is not doing her job to help you.

My response was to say that directors have a balancing act too but if we are organized it isn't hard to be supportive to our teams.

{{{{hugs}}}} to you. Hopefully your director will get the message and your upline will be more responsive.

 

[pjpamchef]

Ditto.

I will tell you I had a good relationship with my Upline's Director's Director. (we joked that she was my great-grandmother in this business) And found her to be extremely helpful, and sometimes I think it was because I knew she wasn't making any money off me, so for some reason it felt more real (??) I really think you need several "go-to" people in this business. But, she passed away last June, (perhaps a reason for my neg attitude), and I haven't found anyone to fill the hole she left.