Shawn Outler joined Macy’s in 2009 as group vice president of multicultural merchandising and vendor development, and in 2011 launched The Workshop at Macy’s, one of the industry’s longest-running vendor development programs, aimed at elevating the next generation of diverse merchants and vendors.

She then worked her way to executive vice president of licensed businesses, pricing and multicultural strategy and operations at Macy’s in 2017, and was appointed chief diversity officer in 2019 – one of the first people to hold a chief diversity officer position in the retail space.

Since then, she has forged a bold blueprint for diversity, equity and inclusion in the fashion industry. 

On stage at the Women in Retail On the Road event in New York last month, Outler spoke with Women in Retail Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli about some of the DEI initiatives she spearheaded at the organization, how she got buy-in from leadership and her peers, and more. The conversation was livestreamed on LinkedIn and recorded for the Women in Retail Talks podcast. Women in Retail members can also watch the recorded conversation here.

Below are some tips Outler shared for how senior-level executives can advance in their careers:

1. Know Your Why

Outler said she talks to her team about this all the time. “What is your personal vision and mission for yourself? You half to nail that,” she said, adding it’s important to understand and identify what you can uniquely contribute and own that’s yours, that nobody can take away. “Think about what impact you can make in the business,” she said.

2. Have a Bigger Mission for Yourself

She said this advice goes beyond any specific role or function. “What is it that you came to do?” she said. Her bigger mission, for example, is about “advancing and maximizing opportunities for others.”

3. Take On New Opportunities

She shared how she only wanted to be a buyer — she never imagined becoming the chief diversity officer of a company like Macy’s. “That just wasn’t in my purview — but I said yes. To a lot of things. I didn’t know what they were or what it meant or what it was going to mean for me long term, but I had my personal vision and I knew things were going to change. I knew I needed to be flexible, I knew I needed to bend, but I knew I was never going to break if I said yes to the things that aligned to who I am at the core.”

4. Refine Your Leadership Style and Advocate For Yourself

“I can’t say it enough,” Outler said, adding there were a few pivotal moments in her career when she leaned into advocating for herself, to great effect. When it comes to leadership style, Outler has honed in on hers: She’s strategic in that she loves to create a vision and a bold idea; but she’s also a macromanager in that she selects great people to work for her — people who she trusts and empowers to deliver on their vision in their own unique way. “I don’t need to own it; I just need to help people — as a consultant — figure it out,” she said.