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As International Women’s Month draws to a close, we are reflecting on and celebrating the remarkable contributions of women around the world—and in our own industry.
I am an unusual retailer in the sense that I knew by the age of 13 that this was the career I wanted to be in. It was not a part-time job that I fell into or pursued while looking for something else; it was the end goal. Part of that determination stemmed from the fact that I had good role models. Both my father and brother were retail senior executives, and their experiences showed me that if you started on the sales floor, you could make your way all the way up to the C-suite. Hard work, flexibility, and a passion for customers could lead to a promising career.
After graduating from college with a degree in retail management, I accepted the lowest paying job (my mother was aghast) as an assistant manager for a junior apparel retailer called Brooks Fashions. My regional manager was Sharon Neeley, and her office was in our Columbia, Maryland store. I was lucky, because Sharon took a liking to me, pushing and challenging me to learn and grow. I was eager to learn as much as I could from her, and it paid off. I was promoted to store leader and, in less than two years, was promoted again to an area manager position reporting directly to Sharon. She mentored me, gave me stretch assignments, and spent time and attention in helping me build my career.
Within a year, I was recruited by a local men’s and women’s traditional retail chain called g.Briggs. At just 26 years old, I was being offered the job of Director of Store Operations. It was an exciting opportunity, but I was afraid to tell Sharon. I felt like I would be abandoning her, letting her down. Instead, she was thrilled for me. She encouraged me to take the position and to soar. She added that, as much as she hated losing me, she had a plan in place for one of my store leaders who could step up to take my place. And so the succession cycle would begin again, because that is what Sharon truly loved—growing talent.
At MOHR Retail, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with and developing thousands of women leaders across the retail sector. From frontline store managers to C-suite executives, we’ve seen firsthand how women are influencing and creating the future of retail in powerful ways.
This month, we’re shining a light on just a few of the ways women are stepping up and making a big impact in retail, and how we can all take a page from Sharon’s leadership playbook by fortifying the pipeline and investing in women leaders.
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