This week I had the privilege of working with some of the Lululemon executive team and its next generation of global leaders. It was one of those rare moments where I got as much or more than I gave. I walked away knowing that it is possible to scale a high performance culture that simultaneously sets the bar for valuing its employees and delivering an unparalleled customer experience.
I was struck by the authenticity of their CEO, Laurent Potdevin, as he shared their vision for the future. When I say struck, I mean struck – as in taken aback! This was particularly meaningful given that our firm, Unstoppable Conversations, is masterful at enabling teams to identify and then elevate their corporate culture for breakthrough performance. The kind of leaders we produce are authentic and willing to look in the mirror.
However, in 15 years of consulting to and empowering high performing teams I have never witnessed the kind of freedom, authenticity, and integrity that I saw demonstrated at the 2014 Lululemon Global Leadership Conference. Unsurprisingly, these qualities were most embodied by Lululemon’s founders, executives, and key global leaders.
And, as importantly, my firsthand experience of the way LuLulemon’s store managers, educators, and ambassadors engaged their leaders and one another was equally straightforward, authentic, and bold. They all could clearly care less about each other’s roles or titles; watching it all go down was truly inspiring and paradigm-shifting. They are a dream client.
As their consultant and facilitator I would say that I was the one that did the most learning. I learned what’s actually possible when an organization truly commits to its own greatness for a purpose that is well and beyond making money. In Lululemon’s case that purpose is to elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness. And their commitment is evidenced by their unshakable partnership with Landmark Worldwide, the world’s leader in personal and professional development.
Largely as a function of Landmarks programs, Lulu now has an army of leaders and staff who have chosen let go of their past and every day demonstrate the courage to be themselves; be themselves with each other and their customers – who they refer to as guests. No wonder customers experience a distinct and real vibe when they enter a Lululemon store.
Thank you Lululemon for the opportunity to contribute to your future and for the life lesson!
Vik Maraj
Co-founder, Unstoppable Conversations
Unstoppable Conversations, founded by the team of Vik Maraj and Kevin Gangel, are a unique consulting firm which produces radical shifts in the capacity of an organization’s leaders to realize extra-ordinary results within a surprisingly short time. Their work demystifies the world of change and simplifies everything to ONE key driver. Leaders discover that their organization’s culture shapes and limits all of their well laid plans and they discover how to practically address their culture with real-time actions that produce immediately obvious benefits.
