Creating The Next Phase of Growth

It’s been an amazing past few months as we’ve worked to establish the company’s vision inside the company, and to get everyone excited about the future we have ahead of us.

Our recent Analyst Day, the first one lululemon has held in more than five years, was the opportunity to share my vision with the investor community, and establish a new narrative about our next five-year growth plan.

I was excited to share the stage with members of our leadership team and continue to be energized by the future we’re creating together. This important moment provides the benefit of having a consistent narrative driving all communications, both inside and outside the company.

Along with Analyst Day, I also had my first series of media interviews as CEO of lululemon. I wanted to convey the excitement and commitment I have for our company, our people and our future. This truly is my dream job. Why? Because we are guided by something much bigger than ourselves, and certainly much bigger than me as CEO.

We are guided by our purpose and vision, and I believe that no other company has this strength in culture, can deliver incredible product innovation, ignite a community through unique experiences and authentically connect with guests around the world like lululemon can.

I wanted to take a moment and reflect on everything that was part of this big moment for me, and I realize that speaking publicly in my role was a pivotal point for me, moving into steady state.

For any new leader, as I’ve written about, you go through this period where you are the “new” leader. It’s almost like the word “new” becomes part of your official role title for a while.

At some point in the first year, it all shifts beyond titles or length of service. You become known as you. And that signals that it’s all about the future, not just what might be changing and the resistance of “we’ve always done it this way.”

So, the question becomes – how do you shift to steady state where the focus is all about the future of the business, moving past fears that might come from having a new leader in place?

As I shared my vision and strategy for the first time with an external audience, here is what worked for me along the journey:

Spend the time to connect: Ground yourself with your team by asking questions and listening to answers. Engage in conversations and build relationships across all levels, geographies and functions. Emphasize collaboration. Create and carry out a communications plan and connect in different ways from town halls to coffee chats to notes to video calls.

Co-create the vision and strategy: Bring together your direct reports to land your vision and strategy. Every opinion and every word counts. Once you and your team know you’ve nailed it, then talk through how it will be unveiled. What is the best way to enroll others in your vision? How will the vision show up in the daily work of each team member?

Start with a 100 percent internal focus: Start out with a singular focus on communicating internally to share your vision and strategy. Build a regular communications cadence, so everyone has set expectations for hearing from you. Target people managers first and start the dialogue of how each leader can align and drive future success. A significant benefit to starting internally is that it gives you time to get feedback on the vision and strategic plan. Is it resonating? Is it clear? Words matter as much as the emotion and energy behind the plan – is the organization responding the way you expected? Take this as an opportunity to refine and adjust to know you’re ready for the next step.

Take the inside, out: Decide when you’re ready to go external after talking with the key advisors around you (i.e., your boss, your Board, your peers). Is there commitment to your vision and strategy across the team? Or are there lingering questions that may be obstacles for success or diminish confidence? You’ll know when you’re ready, and, then, the key is to realize it’s not the same set of stakeholders. Pick from the internal strategy what matters most to the audience, and make sure that you simplify and clarify what they expect to hear. Any organizational strategy will carry more weight with certain audiences. Know what matters to them, simplify and share that part of the vision. A simple message, that is easily understood, is critical.

Get ready for the moment: What I’ve observed is that preparing for the external moment, whatever forms it takes, requires preparation, coordination and a leadership team that’s on the same page. This is an important day, so show commitment in planning the agenda, knowing what you want to share, and taking prep and practice seriously – from rehearsals to curating every word of your remarks.

Your external event is just one moment in time, and the focus must remain on delivering on the vision and strategy. So, no victory laps allowed when it goes well (or wallowing when it’s another in a line of learning experiences). Make sure you immediately dive back into the work ahead with your leadership team. Use the energy of your external moment to propel you forward.

That’s precisely how I’ve been spending the past few weeks – at an offsite with my leadership team followed by an important global trip – pivoting from our incredible and proud moment together to ensuring we bring our vision and strategy to life around the world.