PARTING WORDS

We Can Do Better Jim Lee, LPC Executive Editor

You never know and rarely can predict when tragedies or catastrophic events will occur and alter the course of history or change the direction of your life. We have had many such interview for the role to lead LP for the company. He also ‘marketed’ me when he could, speaking to accomplishments in senior leadership meetings or supporting me to present in his place. This one person events in the course of our American history—Pearl Harbor, space shuttles Columbia and Challenger explosions, Oklahoma City bombing, Hurricane Katrina, and 9/ll. Perhaps one of these had a life-changing effect on you or someone you know. Such is the case with me.

Fifty years ago I experienced the assassination of President Kennedy. Up until then, my life had consisted of school, sports, and the desire to someday be a coach. This one event turned my world upside down. From that moment on I wanted a life in law enforcement, specifically the Secret Service. Long story short, it did not work out for me. Instead, I chose a career in retail security. As it turned out, I got the best of all worlds—a career that had elements of law enforcement, business acumen, coaching, and crisis management.

Over time I have heard the challenges made on how well things are going or not in loss prevention. Now you cannot compare these challenges to those of the aforementioned disasters, but often the effects are every bit as personal. I recently had an experience that stopped me in my tracks and I wish to share it.

At our recent magazine and Loss Prevention Foundation annual board meetings, we were enjoying an energetic discussion when a voice from the back of the room proclaimed, “You don’t have enough women represented in the room. It appears loss prevention has not made much progress in the past twenty years.”

That challenging, emphatic statement came from Debra Rood, a former senior-level executive of operations, LP, and other functions for major retailers, such as Toys“R”Us, Staples, The Gap, and Walmart. After the meeting, I sat down with Debra to get her thoughts on women in retail and here are some of her candid comments.

Moving Up in an Organization. “I was lucky enough to have an awesome mentor early in my career. He was supportive, yet brutally honest. He encouraged me to take intelligent risks and to increase my value to the organization by stepping outside my comfort zone to accept roles in different disciplines within the company. For example, I had zero industry knowledge about LP, but my mentor suggested I made a significant difference for me.” Finding a Mentor. “In a recent article, Gene Smith shared his career advice about finding a good mentor. I can’t reiterate this enough. Not every leader will make a good mentor, so choose someone who will be willing to invest the time and be honest with you about your growth. Then, mold the role you are in to play to your strengths. While everyone needs to follow the job description, there is tremendous latitude in how you approach your role. By playing to your strengths, you will make an impact more quickly.” Improving Diversity at the Senior Level. “Often, a company is pleased with their diversity statistics, yet this is Women in predominately due to entry-level positions. One executive told me, ‘They just don’t stay.’ I believe Executive LP Positions these leaders need to ask why individuals leave and dig to learn the answer. Establish a diversity council where individuals can speak freely about Lee Bland, Stage Stores the barriers they see within the company and Megan Curtis, Disney Stores Patti Felz, Ralph Lauren Kelly Gorman, PETCO Sonya Hostetler, Walmart Cindy Hudson, Target what they believe will change the company’s diversity path. Set goals to increase diversity and be clear with your teams about why diversity is important. Goals should not be numeric, but Joan Manson, The directional in nature. Be clear that this is a business Container Store strategy, a part of the overall strategy to reduce Debbie Maples, Gap Inc. loss. Fill positions only after exhausting diversity Melissa Mitchell, LifeWay candidates.” Christian Stores Retiring near Hilton Head. “I recently Libby Rabun, AutoZone completed a gratifying seven-month consulting Tina Sellers, Delhaize America assignment with Soya Hostetler in Walmart’s Kathleen Smith, Safeway Rosamaria Sostilio, Saks Incorporated AP organizaiton. What’s that line from The Godfather? ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.’” Helping Women and Minorities. “I am very enthusiastic about diversity of thought. It is the power of more than one perspective or way of thinking. This is only achieved with a diverse workforce, a term that has almost become a cliché. It would be my pleasure to interrupt my golf game to help where I can.” Debra is correct that we can do much better with women and diversity. I am reminded that fifty years ago before his death, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and, yet, we are still striving to close the diversity gap.

TEXT RICH BLACK 80/80/80/100

Everyone’s talking about the future — and that includes omnichannel

How will that impact inventory? The stuff’s got to be on the shelf.

Need to get my LP team in on the conversation

Merchandising, operations, IT – it’s going to affect everyone

The industry’s moving faster than ever. It’s all about visibility now.

Which means our technology has to do more, too

The new cameras have to improve customer experience, not impede it

Gotta call Jon back tomorrow

It’s already tomorrow where he is. Guess I can call him now.

Industry roles are changing as fast as the technology is.

We’ll help you think like a Chief Visibility Officer.

From the big picture to a million minor details, your job is all about visibility. Creating a secure shopping environment. Managing loss prevention. Tracking millions of pieces of inventory – from the manufacturer to the shopping bag. And doing it all in one of the fastest-changing environments in global commerce. That’s why we like to think of people like you as Chief Visibility Officers – with an eye on every aspect of the industry, and the goal of improving customer experience through effective security technologies and practices. At Tyco Integrated Security, we get how important that is – and it’s why we work with 80 percent of the world’s Top 100 retailers.

Backed with world-class monitoring capabilities and genuine Sensormatic® EAS technology, our end-to-end security solutions are designed to help improve visibility, reduce loss, manage risk, protect lives and deliver an enhanced customer experience. From fire and intrusion protection to implementing RFID, tagging and video solutions, we deliver the expertise that comes from decades of working side by side with the world’s most innovative retailers. Like you. We’re more than a security company. We’re your Tyco Team.

To download our latest White Paper, visit TycoIS.com/LP

1.800.2.TYCO.IS / Safer. Smarter. Tyco.™