Managers are still Becoming Managers

February 15, 2022

A human resources executive moved up the corporate ladder. Now he’s helping everyone else come up with him.

Gallup found that for every ten employees at a large company, there is approximately one manager. Management is the backbone of any organization, and a good manager position is easily sought after. A manager’s role isn’t necessarily a picturesque corporate playground as your typical Hollywood movie may present it. You’re not locked away at the top floor of a penthouse office suite signing your name on paperwork for 40 hours a week, nor do you want to be. A manager has the unique opportunity to bring a team together, support the individuals that use their elbow grease from nine to five, and keep the workplace fair and healthy.

The traits that make up an ideal manager aren’t natural-born gifts or learned overnight. A manager plays by an ever-changing book and uses their experiences (both good and bad, old and new) to empathize with their team and lead by example. You may be a manager by title, but the goalpost to become a good manager always moves further away from you. To reap the rewards of being a manager, you have to keep running toward it, constantly evolving your methods to manage and updating your definition of leadership. Joe Carrico, the Vice President of Human Resources and Safety at Crider Foods, not only practices this, he teaches it.

“I’m originally from Brazil, and I came to this country with very little English. I was fortunate enough to come with a retailer that brought me into the country, and I worked the back of the house in retail.” Joe Carrico’s goal was always to be in human resources. He knew he had to learn operations and work his way up. With over two decades of experience and high-end training from both Harvard and Cornell, Carrico has provided thousands of hours of practical real-world training for industry executives, managers, supervisors, and front-line employees for publicly traded and private companies. He believes every company’s greatest asset is the same thing: people. Twenty years of experience later, he was ready to pass on his experience.

“I was able to partner with Georgia Southern to come up with a program that will give you the skills necessary, whether you’re an experienced manager or a new manager, to lead: how to understand the different cultures and how to understand what their needs are in order to make them successful.” In the fall of 2021, Joe Carrico put his experience and his mentality to the test. He planned and taught a new twoday course on Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus: Real World Management Training. “You did a phenomenal job, you get promoted. Once you’re promoted, the question is: Now what? What do I do?”

Carrico’s course was designed to cover every critical aspect of management: effective communication, team building, handling complaints and frustrations, dealing with change. A room full of current and aspiring managers took Real World Management together in September of 2021, learning expertise from Carrico’s experience, taking notes from guest speaker and former Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., and sharing stories and ideas with fellow students.

“The attendees in the class had something to contribute, and I really liked that I learned a lot from others,” said an attendee with 30 years in a utility background. A recently promoted manager who took the Real World Management course told us, “The class really taught us how to get to know employees. They’re not just with Georgia Southern to the person in the position. It’s enhancing my awareness of how to communicate with others.”

I was able to partner with Georgia Southern to come up with a program that will give you the SKILLS NECESSARY to LEAD.

The course wasn’t just a chance to reflect. It was a resource for new strategies to implement, as a director at a college told us. “Absolutely, I would utilize this in my business. It’s been refreshing, and I’ve learned many things.” Attendees praised Carrico’s experience, humor, and presence. There was never a dull moment with Real World Management.

After the success of Joe Carrico’s first Real World Management course, Georgia Southern University’s Division of Continuing Education is partnering with Carrico again to offer it in 2022. This time, the training will take place in Savannah, Georgia, one of the top travel destinations in the country. The two-day course will have a new afternoon reception where attendees can network and enjoy Savannah’s atmosphere before beginning their training. Registration for the next Real World Management course will open on Georgia Southern University’s Division of Continuing Education website.