Layla Kasha is the chief marketing and new store growth officer at Grocery Outlet. She’s also a Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) member! In this member spotlight, we asked Kasha a series of questions about both her professional role and personal life, including the woman that inspires her, her leadership style, her advice for the next generation of female leaders, and much more, so that you can get to know her better.

  1. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
    I have not been able to put Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” down lately.
  2. What is a tip you have for productively leading a WFH or hybrid team?
    Allowing your employees to be autonomous and flexible in a WFH or hybrid setting leads to happy employees, which will inevitably lead to greater productivity. Creating opportunities to have authentic moments for genuine connection, such as virtual coffee dates, will also allow your employees to feel connected and motivated.
  3. What’s a mistake you made early on in your career?
    Early in my career I was very focused on my mistakes. When you are starting out, it is easy to fixate on the errors which can then lead to missing larger opportunities and new ways to learn.
  4. What’s the toughest part of being in charge?
    The toughest part of being in charge is being misunderstood. Being the boss means you have to make challenging calls, and people will jump to the conclusion that you enjoy those hard decisions.
  5. What’s the best way you motivate team members?
    Being my genuine self allows my team to bring their whole selves to work every day. Every person on my team brings something different to the table. Leaning in to each other’s strengths and weaknesses allows us all to win and celebrate together or learn and laugh from our mistakes.
  6. What woman inspires you right now and why?
    Sara Blakely has always been my inspiration. Just recently, she sold her business but she is still creating space for women and entrepreneurship in creative and risky ways – I want to be her when I grow up.
  7. What are you looking forward to the most for the industry over the next year?
    I am looking forward to seeing what the consumer is going to do. COVID-19 has changed consumer behavior to the point we cannot predict what is coming next, but I believe that creativity will win and I look forward to the challenge.
  8. What is one thing you look for when interviewing a potential candidate?
    A positive attitude. There are many things you can teach someone, but you will never change someone’s mindset or attitude.
  9. What’s something that you learned about yourself in the past year?
    I am stronger than I thought. The past year has been very challenging but I have been able to conquer everything thrown my way.
  10. What’s your favorite podcast?
    “Fly on the Wall” with Dana Carvey and David Spade. It’s hysterical and so fun to hear about all of the behind-the-scenes stories.
  11. What values are most important to you as a leader?
    Empathy and the ability to laugh at myself are both very important to me.
  12. What’s the most important thing people should know about you?
    Many female leaders are assumed to be cold, when in fact I am softer than people think. My family and my team always come first.
  13. What practices or boundaries have you implemented in your personal life to create more work/life balance?
    An hour before bed I put my phone down and force myself to not look at it. Just seeing the amount of emails in my inbox motivates me to work, so removing the temptation entirely has been very important for me.
  14. How would you describe yourself in a single sentence?
    “I was born for the storm, and a calm does not suit me.” –Andrew Jackson
  15. What’s your favorite app?
    Rent the Runway!
  16. What do you do to recharge?
    I recharge by spending time with my family or by being close to a body of water, bonus points if it’s both!
  17. What is your biggest accomplishment?
    Being part of Grocery Outlet’s initial public offering.
  18. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
    Own being a woman. I’ve had enough of “fitting in” with the clothes we wear and how we present ourselves.
  19. What gets you up in the morning?
    Making an impact. Whether that’s with my family, at work, or with my team.
  20. What do you like most about being a member of Women in Retail?
    The comradery of other women in similar positions is invaluable.

Interested in connecting with women like Layla? Apply today to become a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member!