Making Room for Women at the Top in Retail and Consumer Goods
At the same time, we’ve seen parallel increases in female leadership among our base of customers. While most of our longtime store owners are men, they are increasingly passing the reins of their businesses to their daughters. When I first started at the company, no one was actively making connections with these second-generation store owners. Over time, we formed strong bonds with them, helping to establish a community of women that’s critical to our long-term success.
Today, we’re proud to see women steadily moving up the ladder of our organization. With a deep bench of talent, we’re on track to nurture and promote new generations of diverse talent, helping to create greater inclusion, not simply in our own organization, but within the broader industry.
The best businesses grow and evolve with the times. They also invest in the future.
For the past three years, we’ve hosted students from Her Honor, a program that provides mentorship opportunities for young women preparing for college and beyond. Two days a week, seniors from White Plains High School come to our offices to learn real-world skills. We recognize that early mentorship is an effective way to bring about positive change and drive innovation.
Robert F. Kennedy said: “Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not.” As leaders, it’s our responsibility to actively create the business and world we want to see. Ask yourself: Is there a program you can institute that will help to nurture women and other underrepresented communities? How can we improve communication and create a more inclusive workforce?
Diversity produces stronger, more successful businesses. That’s true whether you build algorithms or stock grocery store shelves.