Success story

Team Coaching

Lane Bryant – Team Coaching

Industry: Retail: Plus-size Women’s Clothing

Key Challenges

Team was struggling with a lack of role clarity
A significant shift with how product decisions were made within core functions of leadership
A disconnect existed between the newly hired and existing team members

Solution and Services

Collected input from team members to clearly understand the current state and developed a series of team sessions based on discovery outcomes

Solution Highlights

Provided a framework for team members to understand their own style and preferences
Built relationships and asked what they needed from one another
Facilitated structured working sessions and created a coaching plan for team

Key Benefits

Team roles were clarified and teams were able to effectively execute goals
Each leader committed to contribute to the team’s success
Clarity regarding which function has decision or weigh-in rights for each component of the product cycle

Team Leadership: Clarity and Commitment Help a Retail Women’s Clothing Store Chain Create a Winning Performance Team

Today’s specialty brands face numerous challenges when it comes to achieving the goals of their seasonal business objectives, merchandising campaigns – insufficient reporting and data, poor execution of projects, and a complex landscape in the retail industry, to name a few.

These challenges especially increase during critical shopping seasons. Many specialty retailers struggle with driving customer traffic, offer their customers the right product, at the right price. The results of successful merchandising execution can influence everything from marketing budgets to supply chain scheduling, sales results and customer experience. In order to meet these merchandising challenges, a brand needs a strong team to implement and maintain the organizational goals.

Lane Bryant® is a United States leading women’s curvy specialty apparel retailer, providing stylish and high-quality fashion in sizes 14-28. The Lane Bryant collection includes a wide selection of career to casual apparel as well as accessories, hosiery and intimate apparel. Lane Bryant fashions are available nationwide at its more than 800 Lane Bryant stores, 115 Lane Bryant Outlet® stores, and at lanebryant.com. Lane Bryant is a leading brand within the Ascena Retail Group family.

The Challenge: Unclear Team Roles and Lack of Leadership Cause Missed Opportunities

The Lane Bryant® Merchandising & Design Team contacted Connect the Dots (CTD) to help them increase productivity by forming a team better aligned to its goals. They were struggling with a lack of role clarity. In addition, a significant shift with how product decisions were made within the core functions of leadership was needed in order to make the most impact.

A disconnect existed between the newly hired and existing team members that led to more confusion and wasted resources. CTD was asked to bring the leadership team together, quickly and build the structure, clarity and supportive relationships necessary in order to meet organizational goals.

The Solution: Leadership Analysis and Development Strengthens the Team

CTD collected input from all team members to clearly understand the current state of the team. Then they developed a series of team sessions based on discovery outcomes. They provided a framework for team members to understand their own and their team member’s style and preferences, as well as begin to build relationships and what they needed from one another.

CTD facilitated structured working sessions that included:

Defined roles and responsibilities
Key product process hand-offs
Defined ownership vs. weigh-in rights

Finally, a coaching plan was created that would provide unique support to the leader, guaranteeing long-term, workable solutions for the organization.

Clear Leadership Creates a Winning Team Who Are Ready to Maximize Opportunities

CTD’s coaching advanced the Lane Bryant® team from forming to a norming stage of team development. Team roles were clarified and the leader’s teams were able to effectively execute organizational goals. Each leader made personal commitments to contribute to the team’s success, which resulted in increased productivity and decreased downtime.

Finally, clarity regarding which function has decision or weigh-in rights for each component of the product cycle allowed each team member to focus on their role and execute their tasks quickly and without confusion.

Every organization has its challenges when it comes to retaining talent and attracting high quality candidates. CTD’s professional coaching and leadership development helped the Lane Bryant® Merchandising & Design Team become more consistent with its workflow and achieve the results required by a highly competitive marketplace.