PARTING WORDS

never, I Mean never, Has It Been Better

Jim Lee, LPC Executive Editor

Ijust returned from the Retail Industry Leaders Association Asset Protection Conference. As with every conference I attend, a highlight is always the keynote presentation. Often it is a C-level retail executive, a successful business person, a motivational speaker, or a sports legend. Each in their own way is interesting, and their accomplishments are admirable. All of them try to relate their message to the world of retail loss prevention. Some succeed. But, I rarely walk away saying to myself, “Wow, what a person.”

Four-Star General

Those in attendance were honored with a keynote from General Ann Dunwoody, who recently retired from the U.S. Army after 38 years with the rank of four-star general—the first woman ever to achieve such a distinction. That achievement puts her in the same class with other four stars, like Washington, Grant, Sherman, Pershing, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, Schwarzkopf, and Powell. In our military history only 206 have worn the four stars. General Dunwoody delivered a message on leadership. Her beliefs are best reflected in the following statement:

“Stick to your principles and have the courage to do what you believe in. When you run into resistance, you can either give up and let the bureaucracy win, or you can fight the bureaucracy. And that takes a lot of personal energy and intellect. To change is not easy, and sometimes it requires change to do the right thing for the right reason.”

How do you think she did relating her message to the world of loss prevention?

How I Got Promoted

There was another session that deserved the wow factor. Michelle Jennings of jcpenney, David Neisen of PetSmart, and Monique Sorrell of AutoZone—each LP executives in their respective companies—spoke on the theme, “I Just Got Promoted; Here’s How I Did It.” Each spoke about pieces of their journey, their sacrifices, commitments, and passion for loss prevention. Here are some of the excerpts from Jennings, Neisen, and Sorrell. ■ Leverage your strengths, build off your weaknesses. ■ Volunteer. ■ Humility plays a role in your development. ■ Always be looking forward. ■ Senior leadership is willing to help those who ask for help. ■ Learn about three areas of your company outside of LP. ■ Seek certifications. ■ It is critical to have mentors and to become one yourself. ■ Disposition matters, be optimistic.

These three executives are perfect examples of the title of this column. Never, and I mean never, has retail loss prevention been consumed with so many bright, passionate, dedicated professionals.

LP in the Boardroom

Now wait a minute, hold your horses. I have seen it in print and heard it said publically that loss prevention is losing jobs; that LP executives are not doing as good a job in the boardroom with C-level folks as in the past. Granted, there are companies that go through challenging times, with cuts and downsizing. It takes place across that company, not exclusively in LP. And we have seen companies go out of business and many jobs of all kinds have been lost. At the same time, many other companies have added jobs, and new companies have surfaced creating many LP jobs.

Now I ask you, do you have any openings in your company? All levels? I submit to you that when it comes to jobs, we are in need of people to fill the openings. In the past we would get up on our soap box and speak about the LP person who crossed over to stores or operations and became a C-level executive. Those are wonderful achievements by those individuals, and they point out the work values gained from the LP experience.

Conversely, for many years companies have been reaching into the stores, operations, administration, and merchant ranks to move individuals into LP positions. We have not given those companies or those people their deserved due. In fact, two of the LP executives I mentioned in this column came from stores and operations. Many companies have seen the value of moving bright, passionate people into LP. That happens because the company sees the value that the loss prevention function brings to the bottom line.

As for the statement that LP executives are not doing as good a job in the boardroom, look around at all the directors, VPs, and SVPs that exist today. Look at the innovations made in data, analytics, and technology. The C-level knows that the LP and asset protection departments today are profit enhancers and every bit as vital to the success of their company as any other function. Never, I mean never, have times been better for the loss prevention community.