Oakley’s Post

Many of us have either shopped at our heard of Macy’s but….. Do you know the story of the man behind it? I certainly didn’t and what an inspirational story! R. H. Macy is man who never gave up after each of his failures and his success came from his persistence. He tried 5 professions: Whaler Retailer Gold Miner Stockbroker Real estate Broker And 6 attempts at owning retail companies all of which had failed… Until his 7th attempt which we all know as Macy’s Department store. The POWER of Persistence: What keeps us going in the midst of adversity is having a strong sense of our purpose. It’s what fuels us to embody the power of persistence. —————————————————————— John C. Maxwell Strategy for cultivating Persistence: 1️⃣ Find your purpose 2️⃣ Eliminate all of your excuses 3️⃣ Develop incentives for your victories 4️⃣ Cultivate inward determination continually 📚 Read “Failing Foward” for details on this strategy. ———————————————————— Spark The Mind. Fuel The Dream. Book a FREE Wake up Call Lester Sydney Tap the 🔔 in my profile for more content on motivation, inspiration and personal development.

Getting your product to your consumer! Day 3 Hosted by Marks and Spencer at their Marble Arch store - things got very real! Kicking us off was Lauren Mallon bringing real energy and honesty in sharing her career journey - important theme being just how far attitude takes you in unlocking breadth & experiences. Hantian Wang brilliantly brought to life the magic of range & spacing - how to stand out and insight into what your customers (Buyer) are prioritising. Our teams were joined by some outstanding graduates Niamh Timpson Hannah Connolly Gregor Munro Millie Stewart who took our teams to stake out different channels (Stores, Restaurants, Pubs etc.). Prompted some excellent thinking around the right channels for the right brands. This is part of the magic of the industry: it's so very relatable and the deeper you dive, the more interesting it becomes. Our delegates felt the same - teams were getting strategic about who was staying/who was going: there's some tension brewing with laptops being slammed shut as soon as anyone who isn't in your team approaches! A huge thank you to the team Marks and Spencer for a brilliant and thoughtful experience - particularly Becky Cock who took the reins mid-way through and delivered such a cracking day. Over half-way now! The energy levels have been sustained, the quality questions keep coming - what a treat to have a front row seat! Psalt

I recently had the pleasure of listening to Vinay Narayana, Senior Director of Engineering at Levi Strauss & Co., share his career journey and insights on continuous learning. His message is clear: your career path is not linear, and the benefits of spending time with stakeholders and taking positive outcomes from difficult situations are invaluable. Check out his talk below to gain inspiration for your own career journey. #careerdevelopment #continuouslearning #techleadership

Jeff is coming right into the hot seat. If anyone can build a team that can figure our their long term solution - Jeff can. I don’t think is another candidate that could do a better job. But make no mistake - the Macy’s strategy must look very different. The 2 opportunities I see is revolutionizing their e-commerce business which is already in top 10 sites along with amazon, Walmart,, Etsy, E-bay. Target etc. Hire a little AI team to leverage that technology. And, second opportunity are rolling out the much smaller almost large boutique stores in key locations but assortments must be tailored to that customer base. The other thing is these smaller stores can elevate the brand image because they will be new - with Jeff’s luxury brand connections perhaps there could be some story telling around that. Great luck Macy's @jeffgennette

Last year, I had the awesome opportunity to learn all about Chip Bergh's journey firsthand while going through the Harvard Business School Online Organizational Leadership program. He talked in-depth and honestly about the good, bad and ugly of executing on a complete turnaround — and two important lessons still stick out to me. First, going on a Listening Tour is the most powerful thing you can do as a leader. Chip said he asked the same questions to 60+ people and harvested the answers/themes. 1) What are the top three things you think I should do? 2) What three things do you think we should stop doing?  3) What's one thing you hope I do? 4) What's one thing you're afraid I'm going to do? 5) What advice do you have for me? Second, being a storyteller is crucial. Everyone bought into the notion of a "20 Mile March" toward growing top and bottom line, which brought much-needed discipline and belief to the culture. In turn, he transformed the company into a direct-to-consumer powerhouse that is no longer solely reliant on its wholesale partners. Cheers, Chip, for leaving something far better than you found it.

Here it is .. the next exciting collaboration with In The Now How teaming up with the Digital Sales Team at Levi Strauss & Co. A full 3-day program focused on deeper connections to self, others, and exploring personal "whys" and the wider team purpose. As Simon Sinek famously said, "People buy your why, not your what." This collaboration goes beyond standard business metrics and emphasizes the importance of purpose-driven work. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project! #IntheNowHow #LeviStrauss #PurposeDrivenWork

This week marks my 3rd anniversary at Avery Dennison, reflecting as I like to do each year, here are my top three learnings from last year. Growth Mindset in Action: A growth mindset isn’t just a concept—it’s an active practice. It’s not about the books we read; it’s about stepping outside our comfort zones. Imperfect keynotes, pitches, and presentations are growth opportunities. Embrace them, learn, and strive for continuous improvement. Be an Agent of Change: In large corporations, it’s easy to accept the status quo. But relevance and improvement demand questioning the process. Keep asking “why?” until clarity emerges. If change is needed, don’t hesitate—be the catalyst for positive transformation. Choose Your Circle: Surround yourself with greatness. Seek out individuals who embody the qualities you aspire to and absorb them. Diversity matters—learn from people at different stages of their careers. Sometimes, fearlessness comes from unexpected sources. Remember, each day is an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference. Here’s to many more impactful years ahead! Pete Moylan, Andreas Althoff, Uwe Hennig and Ting Yee-Smith you were my first circle on day 1, three years ago. You do not realise how much each of you helped me in my first 6 months. For that, I am eternally grateful.

At P&G, we empower our people to reach their full potential. @Fama Francisco, CEO of Global Baby, Feminine and Family Care, started as the first female sales manager in the Philippines and has since led global operations for renowned brands like Pampers and Always. Fama’s P&G career spans 35 years and three continents, marked by resilience, growth and invaluable experiences. She faced both successes and setbacks and learned some valuable lessons along the way. In our latest blog, Fama shares some learnings she would tell her younger self: 🚪 Find Another Way In: Don't give up when doors close. Fama's journey began with a rejection letter, but she persevered and found her path to success. 💪 Flex Different Muscles: You don't need to change who you are to succeed. Embrace your uniqueness and let your true self shine as a leader. ⚖️ Keep an Eye on Your Oxygen Tanks: Don’t neglect the other important aspects in your life. Prioritize your well-being for long-term success. Learn more about Fama’s career journey and her tips for success: https://lnkd.in/grKRcrDM #PGemployee

I spoke to the President for ALDO Group International today! Not only is Michel Fahmy going to be one of my industry guest experts within my Career Success Fast Track™ program this year (woohoo!)... He was also my boss when I worked on L'Oreal Paris and became a first time people manager in my career. This truly feels like a full circle moment where we are now collaborating together in this new capacity. I was so touched when he told me "I don't normally do sessions like this outside of ALDO, but for you, it was an easy yes!" Talk about the importance of building meaningful relationships that stand the test of time. His career path has been nothing short of extraordinary and I'm so honoured to have him joining my clients to dive into his learnings, insights and best practices in becoming the top 1%. We spent 20 minutes catching up and discussing what we will dive into for his special guest expert session. It's going to be immensely valuable 🔥. If you're an active member in my Career Success Fast Track™ program, get ready because this is going to be an amazing session you won't soon forget! And if you're interested in joining us on the inside to quantum leap your confidence, growth and income, learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gh3N7j-g Why spend weeks, months and years struggling to figure this whole career thing out on your own when I'm here to remove all of the guesswork and skyrocket your success! #careeradvice #careerdevelopment #careeradvancement