The Hamster Wheel of Change

Spring is in the air, along with the smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of baseballs being smacked at local diamonds, and in our industry—change. We are a tight-knit community and therefore, changes in leadership make the rounds quickly. And it seems like changes are happening quicker than ever, so there’s a lot to keep up with.

The career path at the leadership level in the retail loss prevention field can sometimes feel like a hamster wheel or like the circle of life. When a new leader first starts, everything is shiny and new, every idea is novel, every meeting a success, and he or she is held up on the edge of a rock like Simba in the Lion King. “Look at this new leader, he’s walking on water!” Every idea flows from their mouth like manna to the C-suite’s ears. He can do no wrong. He is given capital and head count. He is the Lion King.

Then as time moves on, the leader gets into the groove of managing the day-to-day business. He excels, builds his team, and feels confident enough to try new things. He may have a mishit here or there, but overall, he continues to add value to the business—and may even get promoted. All is well within the kingdom.

Then the business falters. The CFO needs to make cuts. Shrink hasn’t been great. Maybe it’s time to try some new

Stefanie Hoover, CFI Editor-in-Chief blood. Just as rapidly as the rise, the leader is quietly asked to leave, and a new leader will be crowned. Business improves and this new leader now has all the best ideas. He has the funniest jokes, the best business plan, builds the best team, and is held up on Pride Rock. He is the new Lion King—until business cycles down again and shrink causes the hamster wheel to spin.

Loss prevention, retail, and business in general can be fickle friends. It’s not personal; it’s the nature of the jungle. Be prepared for changes in the industry at any moment—prepare for the worst and expect the best. My example here is an extreme one, but other changes can happen during these cycles as well. It could be that you are asked to take on a different role in your company or step down from your current position. Either way, be flexible when changes happen. Take care of your mental and physical health during and after the change. Use the change as an opportunity to push yourself to greater heights; there are higher vantage points than Pride Rock.

In this issue of LP Magazine, we continue our focus on giving you tools to help you in your career, at whatever stage you are in. We hope that you find ideas inside that inspire you and help you prepare for whatever change may come.

Powered by The Loss Prevention Foundation

President Caroline Kochman

Caroline.Kochman@losspreventionfoundation.org

Vice President, Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Hoover, CFI StefanieH@LPportal.com

Senior Consultant Jack Trlica JackT@LPportal.com

Editorial Director Jacque Brittain, LPC JacB@LPportal.com

Managing Editor Digital Courtney Wolfe CourtneyW@LPportal.com

Assistant Editor Allie Falk allief@lpportal.com

Retail Technology Editor Tom Meehan, CFI TomM@LPportal.com

Contributing Writers

Read Hayes, PhD Cory Lowe, PhD Walter Palmer, CFI, CFE Ben Skidmore David Thompson, CFI Manager Of Digital Operations

John Selevitch JohnS@LPportal.com

Special Projects Justin Kemp, LPQ Kevin McMenimen, LPC Karen Smith

Design & Production SPARK Publications info@SPARKpublications.com

Creative Director Larry Preslar

Advertising Strategist Ben Skidmore 972-587-9064 office, 214-597-8168 mobile BenS@LPportal.com

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LPM's Editorial Board is composed of some of the loss prevention and asset protection industry's top executives from a wide range of retail sectors. These senior executives provide guidance to the LPM team on article topics and industry issues that are of current concern and interest to LP professionals. To learn more about the Editorial Board, contact Stefanie Hoover, CFI, at StefanieH@LPportal.com.

LPM's Vendor Advisory Board is composed of the magazine's strongest solution provider supporters. These executives provide their counsel on how the magazine can better advance and serve the loss prevention and asset protection industry. To learn more about the VAB, contact Ben Skidmore at BenS@LPportal.com.