For those who are new here, every week(ish) I'll share various topics that I think are important for the modern leader in Retail Ecommerce Management.
Every so often, I get the privilege to speak with inspirational leaders through my podcast LeaderIQ, and I’d love to start regularly sharing some of my favorite lessons learned from these conversations.
Last year, I had the privilege of speaking with Gonzalve Bich, CEO of BIC. As a third-generation leader of his family's business, Gonzalve brings a unique perspective to his role, combining a deep understanding of BIC's heritage with a forward-thinking approach to innovation and growth.
During our conversation, Gonzalve shared several insights that I found truly inspiring:
- People are the cornerstone of any successful business. Gonzalve draws inspiration from his grandfather, the founder of BIC, who always has the employees and the customers in mind when making decisions for the company. The strong emotional connection of employees to BIC's leaders is something that continues to move Gonzalve. The same emphasis on good relationships with people also showed in his reminder for leaders: people will forget what was said at the podium, but not how a leader made them feel at the coffee machine.
- Invest in others. One of Gonzalve's unique formative experiences was the ability to invest in people. He would put money behind those that he recognized with critical, next-generation capabilities and give them the responsibility to create value. While not all of their ideas panned out, this investment and trust motivated them to work hard and now, many of them are with Gonzalve in BIC's leadership.
- Stars, bars, and scars. When hiring, these are the top qualities that Gonzalve looks for: proven leadership skills, experience on the ground, and evidence that you've been in the trenches in your field. Other qualities that stand out to Gonzalve are functional expertise, intellectual agility, and ambition with a clear vision for execution.
- Ask for mentorship. You can approach mentorship in three ways: ask seasoned experts to sound out your thinking; tap into the thoughts of your peers as they take on present challenges, both familiar and unique; and ask those who are younger than you in order to understand your team's priorities. If you're still hesitant to ask for mentorship, Gonzalve's words should convince you otherwise: "What's the worst thing they can say? No, they don't have the time? That's not a big cost for the ask."
I hope you found those insights as fascinating as I did. Thanks again to Gonzalve for sharing lessons that can serve as valuable tools in our Retail Ecommerce Management journey. If you'd like to hear more from him, listen to the full episode on the LeaderIQ podcast on Spotify and Apple.
