Having worked in retail for over 40 years I am grateful for many things, like being able to establish a great career with significant financial returns and experiencing so many life lessons. But the most significant thing that I'm grateful for, is having the opportunity to develop as a leader.
I believe that we all have the ability to become effective leaders of people, and that leaders are created, not born. So establishing the right environment is vital for leaders but more importantly, creating the right beliefs for yourself and others is the secret to being a successful leader.
In my view, there is no greater test of a leader than the retail environment, especially within the supermarket sector. The diversity and complexities of supermarketing creates this paradox or double edge sword where you experience the pure joy of selling, but also the ongoing frustration of managing the right resources (people & product) to meet demand.
Read the rest of the article in the August issue of Supermarket News here.
Brett Ashley is a former executive with Woolworths NZ Ltd, with more than 47 years in the retail industry in both New Zealand and Australia. He is also the founder and managing director of My Purpose Ltd. His new book The Key to Unlocking Your Potential is available at www.mypurpose.co.nz.
