At 26 years old, Aaron Parrott, a Marine reservist who lives in Woodward, is probably the youngest store manager in all of Walmart.
He is husband to his high school sweetheart Ariana and father of three adorable children: Adalynn, 6, Audrey, 4, and Eli, 8 months.
On Friday, like many veterans, when many others had the day off, Parrott could be seen happily working at Walmart, serving customers and keeping the staff’s mood light. Ta.
But even if you happened to meet him on this day, you probably wouldn’t have known that Parrott was the store manager. That’s because he was wearing an officially ugly Christmas sweater and an equally ridiculous hat with a pompom on top.
“I just wanted to add a little fun to what I’m doing for my team at this time of year,” he said casually as he walked to his office. “And we knew we had a truck to unload today, so we thought it would be fun if we all looked like Santa’s elves.”
But no matter what this calm, confident young leader wears, there’s no doubt that his extremely toned 6-foot physique belongs to a Marine.
He is a well-trained, well-controlled leader who walks like a Marine, humbly respects team service like a Marine, and above all commands like a Marine.
“There are people in the military who have been great leaders, and there are people who have been not so great, and it was the same here at Walmart. But I learned the strengths and weaknesses and what worked for those people and what worked for them. We were able to take a close look at what went wrong,” Parrott said. “Now, even though I’m yelling and screaming, my team knows that I’m not raising my voice, yelling, screaming, or putting anyone down.”
Mr. Parrott views his role as leader of Walmart as a service to others comparable to what he accomplished in the military.
“My favorite role so far is my current role as a store manager, not because of the title, but because it gives me the opportunity to impact the lives of so many co-workers. I may not be the best at giving out life advice because I’m discovering so much on my own, but the power of just listening to people and letting them know that their opinion is heard. can have a huge impact on someone’s life,” he said. .
Mr. Parrott’s career in the Marine Corps Reserve and his promotion at Walmart were always on parallel tracks. He joined Walmart as a seasonal cashier in 2014 while he was still in high school.
Born to a Marine father and a Navy mother, he seemed destined for military service, he said. But he also loved what he was learning about Walmart’s service culture.
So in 2016, he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve right out of high school, went to Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Calif., where he completed boot camp, and then went to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he worked as a truck driver. Completed training. his schooling;
He is currently completing the final assignment of a six-year stint with Marine Corps Reserve Combat Logistics Battalion 453 and is deciding whether to re-enlist.
During that time, Mr. Parrott also grew in his career at Walmart, and the two praised his growth as a leader that no other experience could provide.
Most importantly, he believes he now understands how important it is to take care of the team members under his command. Because they are the key to the success of any mission, whether it’s Woodward’s Walmart or Woodward’s combat mission. Marines.
“In the Marine Corps, corporals and junior Marines are the backbone of the force, and what I learned through the Marine Corps is that even though the higher-ups give the orders, they are not the ones doing the work. ,” Parrott said. . “That’s something I learned at Walmart, too. I don’t necessarily have my hand in everything. I don’t unload trucks and fill shelves every day. I trust my team and I give them strength. In this way, leaders must learn how to reduce stress by empowering and growing their team members. They not only grow at work, but also grow in their personal lives. To do.”