What does the next generation of retail leadership look like? According to three rising leaders, it’s human, adaptive and ready to rethink a few old rules.

At the 2026 Women in Retail Leadership Summit, Amber Jackson, CEO of leadership advisory and coaching firm Hype and Harvest, moderated a candid conversation with retail merchandising leader Leigha Dunbar; Jennifer Girvan, director of PR and influencers for Ann Taylor and LOFT; and Amanda Santiago Owens, director of brand marketing at Floor & Decor.

The panel explored what it takes to use your voice, influence without authority, and lead teams across generations. Here are five takeaways that stuck with me:

1. Occupy your seat.

Dunbar acknowledged the pressure many women feel to stay quiet until they have the perfect answer. However, being invited into the room means contributing to the conversation.

“You’re not there to just sit at the table,” she said. “It’s really to occupy that seat and to have a voice and a perspective.”

2. Build influence before the meeting.

The big meeting may not be the best place to win people over. Dunbar recommended using one-on-one conversations to understand what others are trying to accomplish and build a plan together.

That way, she explained, “you’re not going in to convince anyone. You’re going in to confirm a plan that you’ve already built.”

3. Learn to translate across generations.

Girvan described leaders in the middle as translators who must communicate up, down and across the organization. That requires respecting how the business has operated while understanding how younger employees want to work.

Santiago Owens agreed that leaders must get past different communication styles and focus everyone on the outcome they’re working toward together.

4. Give rising talent a visible path forward.

Telling someone they’re “not ready” for the next role isn’t useful feedback. Dunbar encouraged executives to clearly identify the gaps for individual employees, explain what growth looks like, and attach a timeline to the process.

“Make the invisible path visible,” she advised.

5. Retire performative leadership habits.

An open-door policy only works when the door is actually open. Transparency also can’t stop at a certain level of the organization. The panelists challenged leaders to follow through on promises, share appropriate context, and create space for ideas to come from anywhere.

The next generation isn’t waiting for a title to start leading. They’re speaking up, building relationships, and helping shape what leadership looks like next.