5 Mistakes Retail Leaders Made Early in Their Careers

They say you don’t learn anything if you never make a mistake. Mistakes are a part of life, and they’re certainly a part of any career — and they often lead you to some of life’s greatest lessons. As Oscar Wilde said, “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”

These five Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) members learned from the mistakes they made early in their careers. They shared those mistakes with us in these member spotlights:

Kate Boyer, Co-Founder and CEO, Anatomie

“Not following my instinct but ‘advice’ from ‘experienced consultants.'”

Andriana Gavrilovic, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Radiance Holdings

“I wore my emotions on my sleeve and took business decisions and feedback personally.”

Lisa Hudak, President and COO, Kittle’s Furniture

“No work-life balance. Still recovering!”

Jamie Martin, Vice President, Merchandise Operations and Inventory Management, mDesign

“Being defensive about my work and not stepping back to realize it was support I was receiving instead of criticism. I felt so invested in my work and knew how much effort I was applying that any small critique could be frustrating. I learned from a great leader how to identify this in myself. The last thing I wanted was for my teammates to feel I wasn’t open to other ideas or ways of doing something.”

Brieane Olson, President, PacSun

“I found it challenging to create boundaries between work and personal life. Moving to Italy early in my career helped me to embrace the beauty of slowing down.”