Leaders in REM: Vince Jones

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 Leaders in REM , and I’d love to start regularly sharing some of my favorite lessons learned from these conversations.

I'm thrilled to share with you my conversation with Vince Jones, SVP, General Manager, and Head of Global Ecommerce at PepsiCo, and member of the advisory council at Instacart. During our chat, Vince shared some insights on the key traits that help individuals thrive in organizations.

Here are the key takeaways that could help propel your career forward:

1. Dare to explore and learn. Early on in his career, Vince realized that consulting was not aligned with his passions, and he pursued an MBA to embrace new challenges. He's always had the willingness and desire to push his limits, without overextending himself, and it's one of the qualities that he thinks individuals looking to get ahead in an organization should demonstrate.
2. Learn to adapt and recover. Those are two traits that are particularly relevant in today's very dynamic business landscape. As we can't predict what the future holds, it's crucial to learn how to adapt to change and learn from it. Vince also expressed his admiration for the ecommerce team at PepsiCo and what they have been able to work through. Such resilience is a must for individuals who want to succeed.
3. Raise your hand and deliver. In all of his roles, Vince places a high value on execution. He may have damaged some relationships by being too focused on delivering results, but he's learned to collaborate more over time. He believes that it's important to speak up and offer ideas that may be outside of your usual scope. This kind of initiative can help move things forward and increase your value to the organization. His advice is clear: Be confident in your ability to deliver results and it will make a big difference in your career growth.
4. Leverage technology in creating solutions. One important skill that Vince appreciates in individuals is the ability to approach problems creatively and think about how technology and data can be leveraged to create unique and efficient solutions. This kind of problem-solving requires collaboration between business and tech teams, and can often result in innovative approaches to long-standing issues.
5. Lead with empathy. Given everything that's going on in the world, it's important to have a genuine connection and empathy for others and their individual lives. Leaders need to have a real concern for the well-being of their team and peers, and convey it in an authentic way. By asking the right questions and understanding what's happening with other people on your team, you can show them that they are valued and genuinely cared for. It's crucial to create an environment where people feel comfortable and where everyone is working together to do the best they can.

Big thanks to Vince Jones for sharing with us his insights on Retail Ecommerce Management. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our podcast episode, available on Spotify and Apple , to hear more about Vince's perspective.