of The English Sports Shop (TESS) Ltd.'s group of stores a smart idea, it's the friendly staff that make the experience enjoyable. For more than 20 years, the man who has made sure of that, is Ronnie Maughan, director of operations for TESS Ltd. "The first thing I look for is a personality -- someone who comes in with a smile, who carries themselves in a dignified fashion; certainly somebody who exudes confidence and feels confident about what they're coming for. They must be able to easily talk to people, to carry a balanced conversation. I want someone who's articulate, who can string a sentence together and make sense when they do. "The other thing I look for is people skills; someone who is able to deal with different situations, discuss them through calmly and rationally..'' Natural intelligence, as opposed to being merely `booksmart', is another quality on which he places great emphasis. "We need people on our staff who can easily grasp new ideas and concepts. Of course they should have some knowledge of the job they are applying for, but my view is if they possess the points mentioned, knowledge and experience is something we can teach them.'' Mr. Maughan joined TESS Ltd.

at the age of 16 while a student at Warwick Academy. "I was working Saturdays and summer holidays before spending four years in college in England studying to complete a diploma in business. I returned to Bermuda in 1970 and have been here full-time ever since. I've worked in every area of the business. I started in sales, and in 1974 or 1975 I became involved in personnel and took on that responsibility lock, stock and barrel when I became a director of the company.'' How the prospective employee will work as a team member is also considered. "One of the things I place an emphasis on is `guidelines-of-fit'.

I want to be satisfied that that person will work well with people in their department. It's what makes our staff great. "We want everyone to feel as if they are part of the English Sports Shop family and when we achieve that, and we usually do, we end up with a very solid team. Our organisation is successful because of our people.'' Flexibility is vital in the retail business, said Mr. Maughan. "Vacations we can plan for, but sickness we can't. It's quite possible that we might need to call someone in on their day off or ask them to change lunch hours, but our staff know that if they go the extra mile for us, we go the extra mile for them. A lot of our staff have been with us for many years and that would attest to the feeling we have as a family at (TESS Limited). Students are also vital to operations at TESS Ltd., especially because they represent the future of Bermuda's retail industry.

"This summer we've taken on probably more students than we need. We feel we have an obligation to help them try and find out about this business. Retail needs quality people and in recent years, we've seen more and more educated and intelligent people go into business. Our policy is not to take on staff merely for the sake of taking on staff. We want the best persons we can find.

"Obviously they are our employees, first and foremost, but their second role, which is every bit as important, is to act as ambassadors. We have no problem if say, after they have thoroughly checked our storeroom and cannot find an item, if they suggest that a customer go to (H.A. & E.) Smith's Ltd., for example, if they think the customer might find what they are looking for there. We also encourage them to be knowledgeable about Bermuda so that if a visitor asks a question, they can provide them with the answer. And so far it has worked. We get letters on a weekly basis from visitors and locals praising our staff.'' PHOTO Nautica manager, Colin Phillips Director of operations, Ronnie Maughan MINI SUPPLEMENT SUP