Take Control

Sometime it feels like everything is out of control. The subway is having mechanical problems, it's raining, it's taxi change over time, you can't find an Uber, some man spills his coffee on you getting off the bus, and you have that important 9am meeting.

Even though you are having a terrible morning where unpredictable circumstances leave you off centered, you still have control of what happens the rest of the day. It's hard to feel that way in the moment, but you still have many choices on what happens next. Let's explore.

Option 1- You walk into your meeting clearly frustrated and disheveled. You apologize for being late and jump right into your presentation feeling unnerved.

Option 2- You contact the people who are in your meeting, let them know about the unfortunate coffee spill and tell them you need an extra hour to stop home and change.

Option 3- You pull a shirt off the sample rack (this is a fashion industry blog, so it's likely there are samples around) quickly change in the bathroom, enter your meeting a couple minutes late with the now entertaining morning you've just had.

There are probably 10 more things you could choose to do in the moment. What sounds like the best option? The point, there are always options.

Things happen that are out of your control: the boss that hired you leaves the company, your company gets sold to a private equity firm, your division is being moved to New Jersey, or your partner on a key project just took all the credit on the work you did. It's how you react to those situations that will stall your career or keep you moving forward.

First, decide what you want out of your career. What type of leader or teammate do you want to be?

Then, think about your situation carefully. What options do you have? There are usually two obvious ones, but there are generally several others that aren't so easy to see at first.

Finally, make a decision and take control. How will you reflect back upon the decisions you are about to make? How will you be perceived based on your planned reaction?

If you believe things are out of control and you are powerless in a situation, you are powerless. If something happens that's out of your control and you make a decision on what happens next, you have control. The decision is yours.

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Stay flexible

This industry will drive you crazy if you let it. There is very little predictability in what a day could look like. In my first day at one company, I found myself re-designing a collection, collaborating with the founder of the company and making changes to a line I had never seen... all prior to finding my desk or learning the location of the bathrooms. It was definitely a first for me, but in this industry, sometimes you just need to go with the flow.

The only thing you can consistently expect is change. Starting from a place of curiosity and being open will serve you well in your career in the fashion world.

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com.

In the face of change

How people handle themselves in the face of change can advance or ruin a career. Leadership changes often in the fashion industry. In my career of 17 years, I have seen 9 different leaders. That means a leadership change has occurred just about every 2 years (Keep in mind I have only worked at 5 companies). Every time a leadership change was about to occur, the gossip would ramp up. People could feel it coming and start to panic. It didn't matter if they loved or hated the current leader. Strange factions would start to arise. People would begin to ‘position’ themselves closely with one leader or another.

My message to you: stay out of it. Do your job. Focus on getting the job done & getting it done well. Every leader will appreciate this. It doesn't matter if this leader is your boss or your boss’ boss’ boss’ boss. Just focus on doing your job and staying out of the politics. It will also keep your stress level low. If a colleague wants to come to you and vent their fears, you can listen but not join in the panic. Listening doesn't mean you have to chime in on their fears or even agree.

How have you reacted in the face of change? What can you gain/ lose by involving yourself in the office politics? How could aligning with a current leader help/ hurt your career?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

The pendulum swing

Fashion is famous for going to extremes. One season, a style (sold in one color only) sells out. A relatively small quantity was purchased of that style and the retailer now thinks this will be a great style in a larger way. So the brand makes this style in 10 colors for a future season and buys a huge quantity. The style hits the selling floor with no support or marketing and it fails. We are now calling this style an epic failure. How could it be so successful one season and such a bad style the next? This is a classic fashion example of “swinging the pendulum”.

Finding a reasonable balance can be challenging in an industry with so many passionate people. It’s easy to get carried away and swept up in a moment. Hardly ever do these extreme shifts lead to success. It is important to take risks in an ever changing industry, but there are ways to handle where you can increase your chances of success. First, how far do you really need to move from your current position? After dipping your toe in the water, think through your next step. Maybe you don’t need to dive in the deep end, but rather swim swiftly to the deep end.

Risk is important, but a calculated risk has a better chance of success. In the style expansion example above, think about how a company could handle this differently. How could a marketing plan help turn this expanded style into a product launch versus expansion? What if the company carried this style in 10 colors and but bought a moderate amount. To cover the upside, the company could position fabric with a vendor and replenish the style if the expansion was successful- it protects you from the downside, but creates the opportunity for upside.

How many times have you seen your company swing the pendulum? How many times has it led to a successful outcome? What can you do in your position to create calculated risk rather than swinging the pendulum? Who can you work with in your role to ensure success for your company and the product you deliver? How can finding balance help you advance in your career? 

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Compromise or collaborate

I often hear people complain about compromises they have made. They find themselves in situations where think they have to compromise with someone in order to get something done. In some cases, it is true that compromising may be the only solution. Often however collaborating may lead to a better solution. Most people easily interchange the two words, but don’t be fooled. Compromise and collaborate are not synonyms.  

In a compromise, people give something up. There is a loss. In a compromise, each person negotiating starts from what they see as the optimal position and begins to give in until they meet somewhere in the middle. Neither party gets what they truly want.

Alternatively, in a collaboration each negotiator works together to arrive at a solution. In true collaborations, the pie (so to speak) can get bigger. Each party can get what they originally intended and maybe more. There is opportunity to look at the problem from various angles and think about solutions in a new way. Understanding each other’s goals will help you discover an optimal resolution.

When have you had the opportunity to ‘expand the pie’ through collaboration? How often do you compromise when collaboration may be an opportunity? Who collaborates really well? What can you do to lead through collaboration rather than compromise?

Turning Obstacles into advantages.

We often have candidates run into hurdles during the interview process.  We have seen candidates turn these hurdles into an advantage. 

Last week we had a candidate flying to interview with a large corporate employer.  She made it but her luggage did not.  There was no time to shop other than at a 24 hour store.  She sent a very calm and cheerful email to us and the employer late evening. Explaining that her luggage had not made it to her destination.  She informed the employer that she would be interviewing in a bit more casual apparel than she had intended to.  She then went to Walmart and purchased new make-up and essentials.

She arrived at her interview poised and confident with a smile.  She nailed her interviews all day.  Because she had explained in advance she did not spend precious interview time describing her dilemma.  The hiring team that met with her was impressed with her positive attitude and focus.  Candidates in similar situations who panic and leave frantic voice messages and spend precious interview time talking about the horrible travel experience often miss their one window to share their skills and their ability to handle random obstacles.

We have had candidates who have slipped and bloodied their hands prior to an interview…trains that are late requiring candidates sprint quite a distance to make it for their first meeting.  With the weather this winter across the country travel delays were a given.

What is the worst thing that has happened to you prior to an interview?  What are some planning steps you could take to avoid troubles with travel and luggage.  A few tips from us.   

Always allow for extra time in the event of unplanned delays.

When flying, we always carry on our make-up, essential toiletries and one extra set of clothes that is appropriate for most any situation. 

Have the contact numbers of the people you are meeting in your phone so if something goes haywire you can let them know about your situation in advance.

In most cases a good sense of humor, a positive attitude and the ability to roll with unplanned obstacles can turn a challenging situation into a very successful one.

To see what openings we are currently arranging interviews for check out our website at www.apparel-resource.com.

Evolution versus Revolution

Frequently, when a company has a management change, the expectations on employees change… often overnight. I've experienced this several times in my career and it’s never pleasant. One minute you are at the top of your game, contributing, being productive, solving problems, answering questions and the next minute you feel like a failure. You have no idea what’s going on. What happened?

Not only does it take time to adjust to the new sheriff, but new expectations need to be outlined and made clear. Whether you are the new manager or the employee with a new manager, communication is the key. As a manager, what are the things that are important to you? Once you identify, how can you be open and share with the team? When you have a conversation or interaction that is or is not meeting your expectations, how can you use that example to guide your new team?

As an employee with a new manager, how have you identified what is important to the new manager? What does s/he value? How can you adjust your standards to meet the expectations of your new leader?

The transition period is never easy, but communication can help make the change an evolution versus a revolution. 

Stop waiting

I recently had a client who was disappointed in her boss. We have all been there at one point or another. My client needed her boss to make a decision in order to move forward with a project. Her boss was not making that decision. My client was frustrated and angry. She wasn't sure how to make her boss realize the cost of delaying the project. During our coaching call, my client realized that her boss had other priorities and the decision wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Although this was a disappointing moment, my client soon understood that she could move the project forward in another way. She identified her boss' reason for delaying the project and brainstormed a solution to help both her and her boss. The project quickly moved forward after my client removed the obstacle she identified.

It happens all too frequently that we let something stand in the way of our progress. Maybe the budget was cut for the project you were working on, or you are not getting the support you need from a peer to complete your task for the day, or maybe you are even waiting for your boss to make a decision. What can you do to push closer towards your goals? How can you take back control of a lost cause? What are you waiting for?

Learn more about Career Coach Kate Kibler at http://www.katekibler.com

Lost in the wind

Have you ever worked with someone who is smart and used to do a great job but all of the sudden you realize they haven’t done anything of value lately? What were the circumstances? A few years ago, I started with a new company and inherited a direct report. We will call him Gerry (not his real name). In our first meeting, Gerry gave me his history within the company. He had like eight bosses in as many years. He was shuffled from job to job, division to division with little or no support. It was clear that Gerry was frustrated by all of the moves, was skeptical about his future, and wanted stability in the workplace.

I later discovered Gerry’s co-workers saw him as a problem. I had to investigate what this meant. Gerry’s peers described him as diminishing and inefficient. Those are two pretty bad descriptors. I wasn’t sure what to think. If that was Gerry’s personality, I didn’t want him on my team.

Over the next couple of days, Gerry and I met to discuss his future and the future of our department. We talked about organizational structure, responsibilities, but most importantly I shared the feedback from Gerry’s peers. We had a very candid discussion about how people perceived him and my expectations for the team I would be leading. Gerry listened intently and in turn I listened to his point of view. This conversation opened the door for me to understand what Gerry needed to be successful. He needed clear direction, stability and support from his leader. Gerry admitted that his work ethic and attitude may have slipped as he was feeling marginalized over the years. He was mature, smart and dedicated to being successful in the company. I watched his performance and relationships radically improve over the coming months. He led his division from zero to hero in the matter of a year. It was a fantastic transformation.

What can be learned from this story? First, no one had ever learned what it was that motivated Gerry. He was floating and needed a sense of place.  This lost in the wind feeling grinded down Gerry’s motivation and enthusiasm. The second problem was that no one had ever expressed their discontent to Gerry. As a manager, you are not doing someone a favor by holding your tongue. Feedback is an important mechanism for growth and help builds self -awareness. What’s worse was that Gerry’s reputation was scarred from this period of being lost in the wind. It took him a long time to rebuild trust with his peers.  

How can you take ownership for yourself if you are the one lost? How can you understand motivation for yourself and your team? What drives you to succeed? What do you need in order to be successful? Who can you talk to who will give you honest feedback? How can you ensure you stay motivated?

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at www.katekibler.com. 

Managing change in the day to day

Change is a part of life in the fashion industry.  In my previous post (link) I talked about three types of change.  Today I’m talking about strategies to deal with change.

How could you minimize change, even indecisive change? It may seem impossible but even as a young designer, planner, product manager or merchant but there are things you can do to help minimize change. Think about how you would answer these questions. What would make your boss agreeable to waiting on changes until after a major group presentation? What value does s/he get when you make one round of changes rather than several? What kind of input can you get on your line plan prior to putting pen to paper? Who is final decision maker? How is your relationship with that person? How can you better understand what s/he wants before you go too far down the road? How can you integrate your value into what your superiors expect? How well do you know your customer? How closely do you work with your cross-functional partners?

When you become that middle manager or even senior leader, what can you do to minimize change? How have you communicated your vision to those on your team? What kind of direction has the team heard from you? What are the ways you can tell they are clear on your vision? What are the meetings or check points you have in place to help the team move forward in a reasonable time frame? How does the timing of those meetings impact their development or buying cycle? How open are you to their input rather than holding strictly to your vision? How well do you understand what the customer wants? What value am I adding with changes I would like to make?

I encourage all who work in the fashion industry to ask those hard questions. Minimizing change can have significant positive tangible and intangible results. If you take time out of the calendar for multiple rounds of changes you could shorten the product life cycle, have better relationships with vendors, and know more about what the consumer wants thereby increasing both profits and revenue.  Who doesn’t want that? (If you answered ”Me”, you should start looking for a new job!)

Accepting Change

When I first started my career as a young design assistant, I had no idea how frequently things change in the world of fashion. Yes, I knew things could quickly move in and out of style, and I always heard about how fast the world of fashion moves. What I didn’t know was how much a product could change within the design process. It was a mystery until I made it through my first product life cycle. For those outside the fashion industry, maybe some background would be helpful. Color, fabric, details and styling are generally conceived about a year before a customer ever sees the product. Financial plans are made, strategies are built and prototypes are put into work. As more information becomes available, meetings to review prototypes, financial plans and customer behaviors are discussed. This is what we call the product life cycle. With each check point and meeting there are changes. Changes to the amount of product needed, changes to the type of product needed, changes to the fabric, changes to the styling, changes to the color, and other changes seem infinite from the moment of conception all the way until the customer sees the product. There’s even been a case where, as a young designer, I was sent to the retail selling floor to change out a label. Changes were endless.  What was next, heading to the customer’s closet to make an update they requested?

When I first started working, I thought the changes were going to drive me crazy. A manager would drop by, make a declarative statement regarding the color red. In the industry, this is sometimes referred to as the “swoop and poop”, as in the manager swoops in and poops on whatever it was you had planned for that day. As a consequence to the manager’s disapproval, the team would change to a new color and work until midnight in order to update the corresponding paperwork. It wasn’t quite the glamorous career for which I was hoping. I had come to learn about three different types of change after I had a year of professional experience under my belt: natural change, business change and indecisive change.

Natural Change-These are changes that happen because something doesn’t work out the way you thought it would. An example would be:  when a prototype comes in and looks ridiculous. There was one famous situation where I selected a button to put on a jacket. The button selection process takes place in the paperwork stage. I was a young designer and I didn’t have a reference point, so I just added the button that I thought would look good.  When the sample came in, it was clear that I was wrong. My production counterpart still makes fun of me to this day regarding that button size. She said they looked like dinner plates on the jacket. Of course, I had to make this change.  This tends to happen less the more you know what you are doing, but can never fully be eliminated if you are taking risks on new strategies or product.

Business Change- This is change that results from customer behavior. For example, the team built a line of shirts. Later, we see the shirts currently on the market were not selling. The trend had changed and our customers no longer wanted to buy shirts. We cancelled most shirts that were in development and changed our strategy to build a line of dresses for our customer. We had a few dresses online and the sales were fantastic. This was what the customer wanted to buy.  We made this change in order to grow profits and revenue.

Indecisive Change- This is change that happens because of competing opinions. There is no one to make a final decision and each mid-level manager contributes an opinion that is not consistent. Again when I was a young designer, I sketched a black and white sweater with a striped pattern. My merchant and I agreed it looked great. A senior merchant later came into the picture and said she didn’t like the stripe pattern, change it and make it more colorful. A more senior designer came in, saw the style, and said the yarn quality wasn’t right. Change it. A director saw the sweater and said ‘why is this stripe so colorful? Why don’t you make this black and white?’ Then it was time to show the sweater prototype to the president of the division in one of those meeting check points. When he saw the product, he asked why I didn’t use the specific yarn quality he saw in the first presentation. He thought that was great. The changes brought the product full circle back to the original design.

I had an ‘aha’ moment after a couple of years in the fashion industry. Here it is: change is just part of the job and one cannot completely avoid it. Once I firmly accepted that change happens and is part of working in fashion, my job satisfaction significantly increased. In the course of my career I learned it was impossible to avoid any of the three forms of change. If dealing with change is currently a struggle for you, you have three choices: accept it, minimize it or get out of the industry. Tomorrow: how can you minimize change?