Embrace and Drive Change

Here is my Journey in the Footwear Industry and the lessons I learned along the way #253

In blog #252 I talked about how the Journey continues. In this blog I want to talk about Embrace and drive change.

I’ve written 252 blogs so far about my career in the footwear industry. I’ve shared positive and negative experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. With all the experiences I have had, there is one core value that is how I got through it all. “Embrace and drive change”.

My first experience with a major change was when Koby’s shoes was acquired by Payless shoe source. I had been in store management for 3 years now and living in Southern California. I wasn’t too happy with all the traffic in Los Angeles and missed my family and friends.

I got the call that the company was being acquired by Payless shoe source and I would still maintain my position. I was offered a small severance package if I didn’t want to move forward. Since I didn’t like my current living situation, I opted for the severance that would basically pay for my move back to Fresno.

I quickly found another position at another company called Cincinnati Shoe company. They had leased shoe departments in Rodders, a fine apparel department store in Fresno. 2 years later they didn’t renew the lease and offered me a job in the Bay Area. I decided to take the position. Little did I know how expensive the cost of living was. It was so expensive we didnt have too much left over at the end of the month. We would put our coins in a big jar and every so often treat ourselves to a beer or two with the change.

You could argue this was a mistake, but I learned a lot from the experience and ended up getting a position at Nordstrom in 1989. The experience at Nordstrom was pivotal in my career and my life. I learned most of the basics that have made me successful throughout my career. I also learned how to treat people with respect and dignity. This piece is lost in so many companies today.

When Zappos was acquired by Amazon, many people thought that it would become a mini-Amazon. Thankfully Tony Hsieh was the CEO and he kept everything as “business as usual” for many years. I approached the change and embraced…