Lessons from the top: five traits that define modern leadership

Being a successful retail leader in today’s climate is no easy feat. The leaders of tomorrow need to be inclusive, understanding, humble go-getters, who drive their team’s direction without dictating.

That was the overwhelming consensus at Retail Week’s inaugural Senior Leaders Summit on November 21.

The summit saw Be Inspired conclude a stellar year of events, bringing together high-potential executives to explore what the future of retail leadership looks like and how best to get to the top.

Featuring keynotes from The Body Shop UK managing director Linda Campbell and NSU Media managing director Tim Robson, as well as panels including Sweaty Betty chief executive Julia Straus, Skinnydip founder Lewis Blitz and B&Q chief executive Graham Bell among others, the summit brought together insights and inspiring stories from some of the top names in retail.

Rounding off the year for the graduating class of Retail Week’s Senior Leadership Academy (SLA) and welcoming the 2020 cohort, the Summit also provided invaluable lessons on what it takes to be a retail leader.

Here are five key takeaways from the day:

1. Leadership is… uniting all staff

“Success in retail is tough, but it’s even tougher as a woman,” said The Body Shop UK managing director Linda Campbell, kicking off the day with a presentation on confidence and empowering others.

Having worked her way up from the shop floor to the boardroom, Campbell’s family still see her as a shop assistant – a fact she finds amusing yet humbling.

“You have to look at leadership through the eyes of followers”

Linda Campbell, The Body Shop

As a retail leader, Campbell says it is important for her to visit the company’s stores, connecting with staff and getting to know them on a human level.

“You have to look at leadership through the eyes of followers,” she says – the only way to get honest feedback from the floor is by treating all staff as equals.

Campbell encourages “making heroes out of employees”, recognising and nurturing talent already within the company to make up the future boardroom.

2. Leadership is… stepping up

SLA host NSU Media’s Robson led an interactive session on defining your identity and personal brand.

“Stop treating work like school with pay,” he says. “Organisations aren’t simply about who, in theory, holds the most power – in the workplace, success can come to anyone, regardless of their place on the totem pole.”

Being a leader is about doing things without being told to, taking power for oneself and “holding your space whether you have the official authority to do so or not”.

Robson also encouraged the audience to remind themselves of their success stories and what makes them special, “to get back to being the person you sold in your interview”.

3. Leadership is… asking all the dumb questions

Sweaty Betty’s Straus, Skinnydip’s Blitz, Accenture managing director of retail Jill Ross and Post Office chief executive of retail Debbie Smith made an impressive line-up for Retail Week’s leadership panel.

“Be hungry and humble” were the wise words from Straus. The Sweaty Betty chief credits her success to her drive, her style of leadership, which rewards energy and ambition, and her empathy for others.

Being a leader isn’t about having all the answers, agreed the panellists, but being able to admit what you do and don’t know, collaborating with your team to form the best solution.

Both Blitz and Straus encouraged asking questions in the boardroom, no matter how dumb they might seem.

Ross and Smith also advised to figure out what is important to you when working within a team, picking your battles and compromising less on those aspects.

4. Leadership is… understanding your team

Is relationship-building vital for success? That was the subject discussed by our second panel of the day, featuring B&Q’s Bell, London Sock Company chief executive Will Wijnberg and business consultancy Newton Europe’s senior business manager Georgia Wickes.

Wijnberg cites emotional intelligence, or EQ, as the key component in leading a team: “Diverse teams will always include different types of people – introverts and extroverts – so, as a leader, one needs to connect with people in their own way.”

“Think about the moments that are important in employees’ lives and be there for those, whether you’re a people person or not.”

“Leading is thinking bigger than everyone else, about their individual careers, as well as the business as a whole.”

“You can go fast alone, but go far together”

Graham Bell, B&Q

Wickes recommends, as an introvert, finding a purpose for conversations with others and using that a driver.

“You can go fast alone, but go far together,” added Bell.

Creating a balanced team, where everyone can get along despite any differences in personality, is essential for a winning team.

5. Leadership is… having a purpose

The summit concluded with 28-year-old Florence Adepoju, founder and chief executive of beauty brand MDMFlow.

Adepoju combined her background in science with her love of beauty to create a line of bright lipsticks to suit darker skin tones when she realised many of the mainstream brands only produced limited-edition products for her.

“When you’re a dark-skinned woman your skin tone isn’t limited-edition – it’s for life,” she said.

Recognising a gap in the market and working to solve a clear shortcoming of the beauty sector, Adepoju created a leading beauty brand with a clear purpose and values.

Both her story and the brand’s ethos – refusing to compromise – is what resonates with customers.

Great leaders should have a clear vision that can be both expressed to a team and driven to fruition.