Vicky Lăudescu’s Post

🌸 23 years ago, I often ate a sandwich kept on the cash register unit, where all the cheese was melted as if it had been in the oven. My company was a kind customer who placed their products on the convoyor belt more slowly just to give me time to take 2-3 bites of that sandwich. 📘 Those were the first months when Carrefour was writing a new chapter in Romania by opening its first hypermarket in Chiajna. 🌞 23 years later, back in Chiajna, I was delighted to reunite with many of the approximately 100 colleagues who still contribute to Carrefour's story in Romania every day. We shared memories and emotions during a lunch, this time without melted cheese 😊, but with a lot of good cheer sprinkled with just the right amount of nostalgia. 💙 23 years ago, I was proud to come to the store dressed directly in my cashier's uniform. Today, in Chiajna, I was proud, looking around me, to belong to a select group of colleagues who, 23 years ago, began writing their own story while writing Carrefour's story in Romania. 🍾 Dear colleagues, congratulations and happy anniversary! Gabriela Radulescu Valentin POPESCU Titus TULEA Cristian Cojocaru Narcis GHEORGHIAS Fabrice Gratien Besson Jeni Gica Dobrica Ileana Horobeanu Cătălin Bujoreanu Nicoleta Mircea Robert Nicolae Vlad Stelian Stefanita Stoian Daniel Soare madalina voinea Robert Nicolae Cosmin Mihai Gutu Gilles Ballot Narcis Horhoianu Cǎtǎlin-Dumitru Samara Alina Mihaela Gamauf Jagoda Gwardys-Zientara Régis MORATIN Roxana Cernica Andreea Balan Ana - Maria Huiban-

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞? 💌 Its story is simple but holds profound meaning for me. Several years ago, during a learning expedition, a representative of a company we visited shared a legend about this exceptional bird. It goes like this: 🌳 "In a forest, a fire broke out... And a hummingbird kept carrying water in its beak to put the fire out. When all the animals ran away frightened, only the hummingbird kept carrying water. A tiger, distrustful, stopped it and asked: - Are you crazy? Do you think that a bit of water is going to stop the fire? The hummingbird replied: - 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭..." 💧 I deeply resonate with this story. No matter how small or large my role, I have always acted with the belief that no drop of water is too little. 🌟 This is precisely the mantra that guides my actions in my current role at Carrefour Romania. With this mindset, we treat every detail as crucial, every customer feedback as a tremendous opportunity for improvement. 🔍 With this perspective, we take immense joy in crafting Surprise&Delight moments for our customers or Agenda Binelui 555 surprises for colleagues whose attitudes have been valued by clients. In doing so, we do our part in building trust, beautiful shopping experiences, and moments of interaction worth sharing. In fact, this is the essence of our customer-centric program, 555. And the most important ingredient is the people who turn theory into reality. 🔍 I hope my participation in Trade Marketing Congress 2024, organized by Revista Piaţa, has made the contribution of every Carrefour colleague to our customer experience strategy more palpable and real. And I sincerely hope, with all humility, that those in the audience are convinced that their part is crucial in achieving the missions of the companies they work for. 💧 So, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠? Thank you, Cristian Badescu for the invitation. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Congratulations to all the speakers who took the time to share their experiences with the audience.

𝑰 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔. 🌞 ⭐ I find a quiet spot by the sea or on a hill and eagerly wait for the moment when the sun slowly rises above the horizon. It's like watching night and day come together in a beautiful dance. Each ripple of light adds a new color to the sky, creating a breathtaking blend of light and dark. I hold my breath as the boundary between day and night fades, merging the two worlds seamlessly. What a sight! 🔷 Last week, I experienced a similar blending of worlds, not as stark as day and night, but equally special in its own way. #CoraBecomesCarrefour. I spent three days with over 60 colleagues from Cora stores. Amidst technical changes and process adjustments, we connected on a human level, sharing stories from our professional lives and beyond. 🙂 We laughed, joked, and simply enjoyed each other's company. We discovered that, regardless of the logo on our badges, we all share a common goal: 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬. 🖐🏻 I talked to them about Carrefour's customer-centric approach, including our #555 initiative, NPS, and Act for Good. However, more importantly, I listened to their perspectives, each offering a unique view of retail and customer service. 🔝 It became clear that, despite differences in procedures, our core values and aspirations are similar. We all strive for excellence and aim to make a positive difference in our customers' lives. 📘 We ended the days with the understanding that CORA Romania and Carrefour România would merge like colors in a beautiful sunrise. We will write this new chapter together: each happy customer, each valued colleague, each smile, and sunrise at a time. 💙 It was a pleasure meeting you!

❄️✨𝑯𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆: 𝑼𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒖 𝑪œ𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓. ✨ A journey woven with childhood dreams and a profound love for French culture began when my father's enchanting tales of France ignited my fascination at the age of 6. By age 8, the joy of spending 30 minutes each day learning French with my dad became a cherished ritual. 🌍 In those moments, the world unfolded, and language flowed effortlessly. As I surpassed my dad's teaching abilities, he remained by my side, basking in the joy of listening me read in French. Stepping foot in Paris later on felt like a realized dream, the culmination of a journey where the city had become a familiar friend through my father's stories. 🗼 Years passed, and my love for French culture deepened with each visit to France. The magic of Paris became a familiar friend, a city that had once only existed in my father's stories. Every return feels like stepping into a storybook, where the beauty of the city and its people never ceased to amaze. ✨ Fast forward to the present — representing Carrefour Romania at the LinkedIn Carrefour Awards this week was not just an honor but also a continuation of the enchantment from my childhood. Being in France again brought joy as I connected with new people and exchanged ideas. And, yes, I had the opportunity to exchange a few words with Alexandre Bompard, the global CEO of Carrefour. 👏 Congratulations to Zenobia Alves who won the grand prize! Your achievement is truly remarkable. 🏆 🚀 Beyond the honor of being present at the event, the real magic happened in the connections made. Meeting colleagues from many countries of the Group was more enchanting than the city itself. The genuine camaraderie and shared passion for our work made this trip a truly unforgettable experience. ❤️ Once again, it became clear that the heart of Carrefour lies in its global community. Over the years, I was lucky to have discovered amazing people from all around the world, collaborated on diverse projects, and formed friendships, making my professional journey as rewarding as stepping foot in Paris for the first time. Now, a heartfelt thank you: 😁 To Google Translate for bridging linguistic gaps. ❤️ With deep affection, thank you to Ariel BACHI - Argentina, Jef Hendrickx - Belgium, Zenobia Alves - Brasil, Corinne Zihlmann - France, Francesca Lai - Italy, Aleksandra Wiaderny -Poland, and Francisco A. - Spain. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞. 🌟 Gratitude, Carrefour România, for helping script new soulful experiences, and LinkedIn France SAS, and Carrefour Group, for granting me the honor to represent Carrefour Romania. This event allowed me to once again be enchanted by Paris and to create new enduring connections.  💙 To my LinkedIn connections, your likes and comments were the magical ingredients that made these days truly special. #CarrefourPeople #CarrefourAwards #ParisMagic #LinkedInJourney

🌲🔦 𝑵𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕. 🌲 🌲 🌲 I can still vividly recall my very first day at Carrefour, as if it were just yesterday. Back then, I had no idea what to expect, and a mix of emotions coursed through me – fear of not quite fitting in with the team, uncertainty about finding like-minded colleagues, and the daunting prospect of spending long hours at the checkout, engaging with countless strangers. 🌄 It was the fear of the unknown, the feeling of having no control over what lay ahead. It was as if I was about to venture into a dense, impenetrable forest without a flashlight or a map, headed towards an entirely unknown destination. All I knew was that I wanted to embark on this journey and give it my all, to explore the forest, to connect with new people, and to absorb every bit of knowledge I could. 🔦 Looking back today, I can say with immense confidence that I've not only navigated the twists and turns of my Carrefour România journey but have actively sculpted the map of my own experience. The light that guided me through this maze was the one held by the people I've met along the way. As time passed, thanks to them, I learned to ignite that light myself. 💎 Together, we journeyed through the forest – at times stumbling upon its hidden gems, and at others, embarking on quests to unearth them. But above all, we moved forward hand in hand with the teams I was fortunate to work with, continually replenishing our collective light with fresh batteries whenever necessary. You know what? Whether the forest appears dark and daunting or enchanting and inviting depends solely on us and how we choose to map our own journey. 🗺️ To my CORA Romania colleagues, I want you to know that I'm brimming with excitement to meet you all and jointly craft a new map that captures the essence of the wondrous forests we've individually explored. Together, we have the power to create something truly extraordinary. 🌟 #WelcomeCORA #LumeaCarrefour

𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐩! 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧... 🕜 This is what comes to my mind when I think about the months leading up to a store opening. It starts as a distant event, like the slow climb of a roller coaster, but before you know it, time flies by, and you're hurtling towards the big day in a thrilling descent.   💜 The emotions run high as you carefully choose the team to embark on this exciting adventure. Worries start creeping in - Will all the systems be in place on time? Will the checkout line be ready? Is all the merchandise properly arranged on the shelves? Can we handle the stubborn dust that never seems to settle, no matter how often it's wiped away? Will the customers come and how many? Questions upon questions flood your mind, each one adding to the mounting tension.   🔵 With each passing moment, the emotions intensify, and the rush of adrenaline hits you as you face the twists and turns of this new journey. As the challenges become more daring and time becomes an unforgiving opponent, the surge of adrenaline only grows stronger. 💓 Finally, with your heart pounding in your chest, you find yourself staring at the most thrilling descent of them all - the store opening day - and the question looms, "𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?" The exhaustion accumulated along the way fades into the background, and checklists no longer consume your thoughts. You now have only one mission: 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧.   🔵 It's no easy feat, and certainly not a simple one. But throughout this adventure, one truth shines above all else - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. The ones with whom you will share the ups and downs, the twists and turns, the ones that will have your back no matter what.   🖐🏻 I met such people last month. The team of the new Carrefour România hyper in Craiova, the right people whom Nicolescu Camelia chose to embark with on this thrilling journey. Together with Dragos Hustiu, we spent several good hours talking about customers, about how to serve them best aka 555, but also about the services that add value to the shopping experience.   🎯 A successful journey hinges on 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, thus we offered the team a chance to bond and discover common passions and values through various shared experiences. Together, they chose the path they want to tread as a team and 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.   🤩 Dear all, it was an absolute joy to stand alongside you at the beginning of this adventure. As you brace yourselves for the most thrilling descent of them all, remember that you are not alone. I'll be there too, with my heart pounding, giving you a hand, and cheering you on every step of the way. You've got this!

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒂𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔 ... 📌 Leader does not mean a position, nor a promotion obtained through conventional channels within a company. 📌 Leader is not a title that you get at the end of learning experiences. However, they are the basis of a development and transformation process . 📌 You become a leader when the people you work with bestow upon you their vote of confidence, and your credibility in this role increases with each action and gesture you take to contribute to the development of others. This was the essence of my speech last night at the graduation event of the Leaders' School program developed by Carrefour România in partnership with the Academia de Studii Economice din București. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Congratulations to all my colleagues with whom I traveled this road! 👇🏻This was my speech, and I hope it conveyed to people the same emotion that I felt while writing and delivering it. 👇🏻 “Good evening to all, I usually interact with many of you to talk about 555, NPS, action plans and clients, but, tonight I would like to share with you my opinion on the role of the leader. This perspective has been shaped over 20 years of working alongside outstanding teams, has been strengthened by countless and diverse learning experiences and, now, by my recent academic journey. 🌳  So, " 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 ..."  Yoda style, right? 📗 This enigmatic phrase stuck with me after exploring the world of coaching, starting with a book by Sir John Whitmore. He said that each individual is like an acorn, with the potential to become an oak - so this oak is already in us.   What I started to believe since then and was reinforced during the experience in the School of Leaders program is that the role of the leader is to guide this process of development and transformation - from acorn to oak, taking care at every step to offer 3 essential things. 🌳 The first is 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 - an authentic leader sees more in each team member than what they see in themselves and gives them direction and clarity. 🌳 Then 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 - the leader is the "gardener" who ensures that an acorn grows and develops in a suitable environment. Suitable means trust, learning, personal and professional development, feedback, recognition and appreciation. 🌳 The 3rd essential is 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - the leader is the one who believes in the potential of its people, even when they may have doubts. A word of encouragement spoken at the right time can inspire someone to push their limits. 🌳  Know that there are such leaders. I also met them during this experience, from younger colleagues to colleagues with many years of experience in Carrefour. And from each one I took something new with me.   🌳  I conclude by saying that together, we can build teams that are strong and motivated to deliver unforgettable experiences to our customers only if we 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐚𝐤 within each person we work with. Thank you!  Have a nice evening!"

𝐎𝐬𝐬 😃 Am făcut un prim deep-dive în metodologia Lean Six Sigma într-un training intensiv pe care l-am parcurs în cadrul planului meu anual de dezvoltare în Carrefour România. Și a fost interesant ... Sincer, eu fiind un om pasionat de științele umaniste, nu m-am așteptat să îmi placă. Probabil, au fost mai multe elemente care au făcut ca experiența să fie una plăcută: σ noutatea; σ atmosfera și compania colegilor; σ stilul de transmiterea a informației. Kudos, Ana Preda de la Envisio; σ îmbinarea cu elemente din Kaizen; σ aplicabilitatea în rolul actual; σ și da... să nu fiu ipocrită... și faptul că a venit la pachet cu o certificare din partea Lean Six Sigma International Association of Professionals. Care va fi pasul următor? Nu știu, depinde ... 😃 Gabriela Radulescu Marijana Marcus Elena Ioanițescu Cosmin Mihai Gutu Emanuel Socolescu Claudia Pescaru

𝑩𝒆𝒆𝒑-𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑/ 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚/ 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑-𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑-𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑/ 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔/ 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑- 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑 – 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑 - 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒑 💙 Today was a special day as I returned to where my journey in Carrefour România began. For a few moments, I traveled back in time 22 years ago when I was a cashier in the first Carrefour hypermarket opened in Romania, Carrefour Militari. 🔵 Fondly, together with other colleagues, I remembered how it felt to work in this store – the funny moments and the challenging ones. We recalled the never-ending queues that stretched across the entire store and how, at times, we had to close the store's gates because there were so many customers inside that there was no room for anyone else. 🔵 I reminisced about the first few weeks when I would fall asleep as soon as I lay in bed, dreaming only of the beeping sound of the cash register – beep - beep, and Roxette's melody "Milk and Toast and Honey" that inevitably played through the store's speakers every time I stepped onto the cash register. 🔵 It was tough, but we found the strength to carry on because we were an amazing team that worked hard but never forgot to smile and have fun. I enjoyed the time spent on the cash register with the customers just as much as I enjoyed the break moments when we planned what to do after work. There was a fantastic energy, perhaps one of youth 😊, but also an enthusiasm and pride that I felt because I was working in a store that had never been seen before in Romania, part of an extraordinary team. Goosebumps, simply... 💜 On the way home, I listened to "Milk and Toast and Honey" by Roxette for the first time in a long while. I drove home with a smile on my face and honey and milk in my soul. Neither the congested traffic nor the reckless drivers could take away the joy I felt. 💚 Thank you to my colleagues at Carrefour Militari who welcomed me with open arms today. You are just amazing! Stoian Stefanita #StefaniaStan Valentin Palada #MarianaTronea #team #GoodtoBeBack #CashiersDay #22YearsAnniversary