Lauren Hobart’s Post

It is great to see leadership in the field. Dealing with front-line team members should remind leadership of 3 critical keys to success. #1- Your internal customers, especially customer-facing team members, are as important, if not more so than, your external customers. #2 - Empathy is free! Treat others as you want to be treated! When I was starting my career, my mentor told me that you have 2 ears and 1 mouth...listen twice as much as you talk when working cross-functionally with others within the organization. #3- Be humble! Gain your success by helping others reach their goals! Remember, most employees do not leave because of pay but because of the way they are treated or by the culture of their workplace.

The Power of Play in Product Design, demonstrated by Gymshark 🦈 In the dynamic world of design, integrating play into the design thinking process is a game-changer. Here's why: 🌟 Boosts Creativity Play breaks down mental barriers, sparking unique ideas and innovative solutions. 🤝 Enhances Collaboration A playful environment encourages open communication and teamwork, essential for successful projects. 🔍 Improves Problem-Solving Experimentation through play allows designers to refine ideas without fear of failure. Embrace play in your design process to unlock creativity and drive innovation. Let's make design fun and impactful!

Guess what happened today that totally blew my mind? So, I was just going about my business at work when I turned around to help a customer, and guess who it was? Jessica from my White House | Black Market days! Talk about a blast from the past! It was such a pleasant surprise to see her, and as we caught up, it got me thinking about our time at WHBM. You know, it struck me that a lot of people know how much I love visuals, and Jessica played a huge role in igniting that passion in me. She was the one who really introduced me to the whole visual space thing. Thanks to her influence, I was able to make a smooth transition from working on visuals at WHBM to doing the same at Victoria’s Secret, all while excelling in sales. And let's not forget my stint as the Merchandise Team Leader at Aerie before landing the gig as Store Manager. Jessica was like the spark that set off this whole exciting journey of exploring how far I could take my merchandising skills and sales prowess. It's funny how these little chance encounters can make you reflect on how far you've come, right? It's moments like these that make me appreciate the journey and the people who have been a part of it. Who would've thought a regular day at work could turn into a trip down memory lane and a reminder of the impact someone can have on your life and career? 💚 #AerieReal #Growth

One key driver of Red Bull's success 🐂 This morning I saw the display below in my local supermarket. Over and above it being a fantastic retail display (high impact, high consistency with their brand equity... and just fun!), it reminded me of one of the key things that I've always loved about Red Bull's highly successful & innovative strategy: ➡ they give easy access to their product wherever their core consumer has the need Whilst most beverage companies defined their distribution strategy based on the classic beverage distribution channels, since the very early days Red Bull was heavily focused on where their core consumers needed 'wings' - i.e. student campuses, nightclubs, petrol stations, etc. Their iconic branded Mini cars (embodied in the retail display below) quickly became a powerful symbol of the Red Bull brand going towards their consumers, rather than expecting consumers to go to them. As well as also being a fantastic visibility driver for the brand, of course! So what? Where does your target customer need the benefit of your product or service the most? How could you make it even easier for them to access your product or service there? #innovator #innovation #howtoinnovate #corporateinnovation #innovationdevelopment #innovationmanagement #retail #display #redbull

Recognition...is a key motivator. ...is deserved for a job well done. Some may say, one gets paid for doing a job, but that "good job" or extra thank you can go a long way in building trust, and loyalty among your team. We have had several conversations around our disappointment in our in-store experiences throughout 2024. Walter Holbrook did an excellent job of recapping the state of store experiences and inventory levels in a recent post. I'm here to give kuddos to DICK'S Sporting Goods. No matter what store we are in the service is excellent. Today we were in the West Nyack, NY location at the Palisades Mall looking for a new T-Ball bat. Julio came over, and brought us to the right section, but that was just the beginning. He gave us a few tips on how to look for the right size. He showed my son a couple tests to make sure he got the right one and stayed with us until he was satisfied. It's hard to retain knowledgeable talent. Kuddos DICK'S Sporting Goods for finding Julio! He was great with my son. He even wanted to look for a new glove even though he knew he didn't need one 🤣 Is there anyone in your recent travels that deserves a shout out? Let's see what comes with tomorrow's earnings release! #retail #customerexperience #customerservice #stores #service

Well this is powerful

Thought for Today - A lot of hard work is hidden behind nice things. Ralph Lauren Behind every beautiful achievement, every elegant creation, and every remarkable success, there lies a significant amount of hard work, dedication, and persistence. It's easy to admire the finished product, the polished result, or the impeccable presentation, but what often remains concealed are the countless hours of effort, the setbacks, and the determination it took to reach that point. This truth is a testament to the value of perseverance and the rewards that come to those who are willing to put in the work. Whether you're pursuing your professional ambitions, nurturing personal relationships, or striving for self-improvement, remember that the path to greatness is often paved with challenges. So, the next time you encounter something beautiful or awe-inspiring, take a moment to appreciate the unseen journey that brought it into existence. Let it serve as a reminder that your own aspirations are achievable through hard work and dedication. Embrace the process, keep pushing forward, and know that your efforts, too, will lead to the creation of something extraordinary. Behind every nice thing is the story of resilience and the power of relentless determination. https://lnkd.in/eW-geh6S

My absolute favorite day of the year by a country mile was November 9th. Not because it was our annual investor meeting, but because we had the opportunity to announce three BIG and extremely well deserved promotions. Thankfully no one saw me tear up on stage but yes, that happened. Andrew B. -- not to brag, but we knew you were special in 2017 when we hired you as our inaugural summer intern. Thank you for making us look super smart, thank you for not scratching your biotech investing itch and thank you David Selverian for the best intro I have ever received. Andrew - you have been the blueprint for much of what makes our talent programs and culture so special. We truly wouldn't be where we are today without you. On a personal note, I aspire to be more like you every day, more than you can ever know! Can't wait for your partner promotion one day. Let's keep climbing. Chase Goree -- thank you for sliding into my LinkedIn DMs 😘. Building off of the above, sitting 30 feet away from you every day keeps me incredibly honest. It's a privilege to work with someone who pushes you to be the best you can be. Your tenacity, focus, curiosity and thoughtfulness are going to (and already have) made you an unstoppable investor. I have seen you amp it up ever further in the short 6 days since your promotion and that both inspires and fires me up. You push myself and PeakSpan to be better investors. Truly a significant impact has already been made by your presence these past two years and we're just getting started. Can't wait for your partner promotion one day. Let's keep climbing. Justin Kelly -- I guess we have Mr. Goree to thank for how we met you (thanks again CG for another seismic impact). Hard to put into words the impact you have made on PeakSpan this past year. On the investment side, I continue to believe that you are amongst the most talented investors in market today, period. Your being on this team and emerging as a leader will no doubt positively alter the trajectory of the firm and that is exciting as hell. Putting aside anything having to do with investing, as any leader will attest, to find a brand new employee who shows up on day 1 already embodying all of the firm's core values is incredibly incredibly rare. Frankly, it's shocking how rapidly you have adapted to our culture and it has now gotten to the point where you are a top role model, leader, teacher and mentor. The work you do with our team does not go unnoticed and is making an outsized impact on our organization. Can't wait for your partner promotion one day. Let's keep climbing. We talk a lot about impact with our entrepreneurs. That is the perfect word to describe why these promotions are occurring and why we are so excited about the future. Andrew B., Chase Goree and Justin Kelly -- you continue to drive SO MUCH IMPACT. Let's keep climbing 💪

Many of us have either shopped at our heard of Macy’s but….. Do you know the story of the man behind it? I certainly didn’t and what an inspirational story! R. H. Macy is man who never gave up after each of his failures and his success came from his persistence. He tried 5 professions: Whaler Retailer Gold Miner Stockbroker Real estate Broker And 6 attempts at owning retail companies all of which had failed… Until his 7th attempt which we all know as Macy’s Department store. The POWER of Persistence: What keeps us going in the midst of adversity is having a strong sense of our purpose. It’s what fuels us to embody the power of persistence. —————————————————————— John C. Maxwell Strategy for cultivating Persistence: 1️⃣ Find your purpose 2️⃣ Eliminate all of your excuses 3️⃣ Develop incentives for your victories 4️⃣ Cultivate inward determination continually 📚 Read “Failing Foward” for details on this strategy. ———————————————————— Spark The Mind. Fuel The Dream. Book a FREE Wake up Call Lester Sydney Tap the 🔔 in my profile for more content on motivation, inspiration and personal development.

Verizon, AT&T, Target, Neiman Marcus, Choice Hotels, Optum, Caterpillar, Pepsi, and others helped contribute to a successful event discussing all things planning at Globe Life Field. The shared thoughts on how to add better flexibility, collaboration, and streamline processes were some of the biggest takeaways for me. Excited to be a part of Pigment, which is leading the next generation of planning. #pigment #gopigment #planning #workforceplanning #salesplanning #epm #globelifefield #financialplanning