Leadership During A Rapid Pace of Change

By: Laurie Gethin, Director of Education, Food Marketing Institute

Leadership is the skill that will get you everywhere. That’s Mary Walter’s motto and she will be sharing her strategies and experiences from working with Fortune 300 retail companies during Future Leaders at FMI Connect in the session The Secrets to Building a High-Performance Team on June 21 at 1:30 pm CT. As a retail expert, Mary knows how to make effective change happen, which is often difficult in today’s grocery retail business that is experiencing a rapid pace of change. I had the opportunity to sit down with Mary and get a preview of her Future Leaders workshop.

Mary shared her philosophy on high-performance teams. “Our work impacts our lives in every other aspect,” stated Mary. “If we feel respected, valued and successful at work, aren’t we more likely to go home and treat those around us with kindness? A high-performance team, where members trust one another, support one another, and achieve phenomenal results can make all the difference.”

Mary sees the retail industry, which is rooted in the idea of teamwork, as one that can benefit from high-performance teams. “Retail is a highly competitive industry that is experiencing extreme change in customer behavior, technology and regulation,” she pointed out. “These challenges make the work interesting, meaningful and energizing. And, to address these problems, we get to work with teams, creating engagement, motivation and commitment.” 

So, just how do retail leaders go about forming high-performance teams? Mary emphasizes the importance of hiring a well-balanced team that fits your brand. “If we hire strategically, each member brings a unique strength and contribution that makes the entire team stronger,” said Mary. “One way to do this is to focus on values over personality. The risk of hiring to personality for fit is that you may end up with a team that thinks just like you—and we already have one of you. Diversity is critical to our success, critical to identify the right solutions. Values are a great tool to ensure alignment with your brand.”

Once you have a high-performance team, how do you keep them motivated? Mary will share some tips and tools for team motivation and go into more detail on developing high-performance teams and ensuring the right “mix” for success during her session. Register for Future leaders and join in the conversation on social media with #FMIFutureLeaders and #FMIConnect.