3 years ago, Becki joined Stonegate as a Team Leader, worked hard to climb the ranks, and is now General Manager of Yates Hull! She has recently graduated from our ATOP (Albert’s Theory of Progression) Accelerator pathway designed for our Deputy Managers who are ready to take that leap into becoming GMs.
We sat down with Becki to discuss her experience on the ATOP career pathway having just taken on a site of her own.
Tell us a little about your Stonegate journey so far.
I’ve been with Stonegate for nearly 3 years now. I started as a Team Leader at Yates, and then in September 2022, I was made Deputy Manager. I applied and started Accolade (for TLs ready to become Deputy Managers) in January 2023 and completed it in July. As the General Manager left I ended up becoming the holding manager of Yates, until September, at which point I signed up for the Accelerator course. I just graduated in April being General Manager of my own site, Yates Hull. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind!
How have you found the different courses?
I think with Accolade, it’s more about the business and the skills needed to run a site, but Accelerator was more about learning about yourself as a General Manager, like people skills and how to be the best manager possible. When I first started Accelerator, I was so anxious and nervous that I hated getting on calls or talking in front of people. For example, I struggled even getting on the train to Birmingham to attend the first couple of workshops because I’d never travelled alone. I had an anxiety attack on the way back home. I didn’t know anyone in my workshops; they were all from different parts of the business.
But now I feel so much more confident; it’s changed me as a person, and I’ve grown so much. Even at our graduation event, I felt confident enough to speak in front of Area Mangers, Operations Directors, and other people I’d never met. I’d never done anything like that, and it showed how much I’d grown, not only as a General Manager, but personally. It was nice to get to know other Managers, learn how they operate, and share ideas and best practices.
How did you find out about the career pathways?
I had the support of my Area Manager when I applied to Accelerator. I’d always said I wanted to progress in my career, and at that point, I was ready. I had waited until my kids were older to progress in my career to give them my focus, and once they were older, I thought to myself, it’s time to focus on me. While attending the workshops, I was a full-time mum looking after 3 kids and running a site at the same time.
What did you take away from the workshops?
I held an event for my Accelerator workshop, Bonkers Bingo, which went really well. In hindsight, I should have hosted it on a weekend for more sales. But I’ve planned one in my site for a weekend in May, which shows I’m putting things from the workshops into practice.
Guests now want something different; they’re coming out earlier and going home earlier. It’s hard to keep them in later, so events like Bingo are really helpful. In the same way, the Euros are going to be huge for us; it’s such a great atmosphere and we get completely booked out reaching capacity before kick-off for every game.
Before Accelerator, I was constantly on the phone with my team, always working on my days off, and never really taking time away from the site. But I’ve learned that I need that one day a week to refresh and relax, which means that when I’m back at work, I’ve got new ideas and am raring to go. I now always have Tuesdays as my day off to focus on myself. My Deputy Manager is always on the ball and only contacts me if they really need to. I trust my team to run the business on my day off.
How did you balance work with attending workshops and doing the pre- and post-work?
When I started the course, I’d just taken on a new site that needed a lot of work. So, I was trying to get to grips with a new site and make some immediate changes to support the business, all at the same time as attending all the workshops. It was hard to find the balance and find the time to sit down and do the work. A lot of time and effort went into my sales presentation, but it was worth all the stress when I graduated though.
What has been your favourite memory with Stonegate?
Yates never really hosted events. So, during my first week as GM, I booked a band, which was something new for that site. The night was amazing, and we took double sales. That’s my most proud achievement. I look back and think, ‘I worked hard to make that work’. Myself and the team dressed up and really got into the spirit of it, dancing behind the bar. It brought a different vibe to what it had been before. It was nice to see my team going home later, after the close, with smiles on their faces; that makes the difference.
Here at Stonegate, we’re always looking to progress our people into our leaders of the future. If you’re looking for something new, we’ll arm you with the skills and knowledge to give you a career for life.