Ahead of Ragtrader's annual Women In Fashion Edition, we asked retail leaders to discuss a defining moment from their career. Here, The Iconic CEO Erica Berchtold discusses the importance of listening and having a 'can-do' attitude.
I’ve had a few defining career moments in my time (being five months pregnant and taking on the role of CEO at The Iconic is definitely up there!), but winding back the clock, my retail journey and most defining lesson was at the age of 14.
I can still remember it, my first two jobs at my local Macquarie Shopping Centre in Sydney.
One was scooping ice cream at Nörgen-Vaaz, and the second saw me working the perfume counter at what used to be Grace Bros., eagerly wrapping Christmas presents.
What I learnt early on was how valuable the simple skill of listening really is.
Culturally we’re often encouraged to ‘show what we know’, and despite being a natural talker, those years of being on the retail floor, taught me that accelerated learning comes from listening.
No one is born with the know-how, they achieve it by listening and learning from others.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing mentors and taking the time to step back, listen and observe their craft has been invaluable.
Further, as an industry obsessed by customer-centricity, it’s important to remember that it’s only through the act of listening we can have true insight into the needs and wants of our customers.
What advice would you give the next generation?
It seems that many women can often suffer from the ‘I’m probably not ready yet’ syndrome, however, what I’ve learnt is to always throw your hat in the ring.
Even if you think you aren’t ready, or qualified, my advice is to always back yourself and give it a go.
The experience of applying for that job can be extremely useful even if you don’t get it.
But guess what? You just might.
It’s an attitude that has helped me get to where I am today.