Itās Kathryn McLay's last day as a Walmart associate and CEO of Walmart International.
Kath is a genuine bridge person. Her intention to understand and bring the world together through a people-first lens and approach is unlike almost any other leader Iāve interacted with.
She made a real impact on how I see leadership. Two things stood out to me: her curiosity and her quality of attention.
On curiosity, she has a genuine desire to understand what she doesnāt know. And, importantly, the awareness to recognize those gaps and the intent to fill them.
Curiosity is something people pay lip-service to but often are not. It is hard to be curious all the time. Curiosity burns calories.
One of the coolest moments from last year was walking a Samās Club with her and seeing the store through her eyes.
Sheās a true retailer. She loves the details. Layout. Product selection. Where people are waiting in line and where they arenāt.
Sam's Club China has gone from 7th to 1st largest grocer in China in the last five years.
After trying a sample from the bakery, she pulled me over and asked, āHeyā¦ maybe a dumb question, but is the bread supposed to be this soft?ā
It was an incredibly perceptive question, not a dumb question at all.
We ended up talking about how the biggest difference between East and West palettes isnāt flavor. Itās texture.
Many foods in China are prepared soft: boiled noodles, steamed vegetables.
I told her how, when we did research on Chinese travelers going global, one of the most common complaints we got from travelers going to France is that the food is too hard.
Itās a small example, but this is where cross-market strategies either work or break.
How well do you know the customer? How able are you to give them what they want? And - most importantly - how do you empower your market-based team who knows the customer best to do their greatest work?
On quality of attention, Kath has this ability to zero in on what actually matters in the moment, even with everything coming at her.
These last few years, someone in this role is basically a global diplomat. Navigating the shifting global landscape while still running a growth business across diverse regions requires a different level of focus than most anyone can muster.
For those of us lucky to interact with Kath, we're grateful. She genuinely cares about people and customers, and she puts in the effort to understand them in a way that most executives just donāt.
And, like everyone else, incredibly curious to see what's next!
Kath is a genuine bridge person. Her intention to understand and bring the world together through a people-first lens and approach is unlike almost any other leader Iāve interacted with.
She made a real impact on how I see leadership. Two things stood out to me: her curiosity and her quality of attention.
On curiosity, she has a genuine desire to understand what she doesnāt know. And, importantly, the awareness to recognize those gaps and the intent to fill them.
Curiosity is something people pay lip-service to but often are not. It is hard to be curious all the time. Curiosity burns calories.
One of the coolest moments from last year was walking a Samās Club with her and seeing the store through her eyes.
Sheās a true retailer. She loves the details. Layout. Product selection. Where people are waiting in line and where they arenāt.
Sam's Club China has gone from 7th to 1st largest grocer in China in the last five years.
After trying a sample from the bakery, she pulled me over and asked, āHeyā¦ maybe a dumb question, but is the bread supposed to be this soft?ā
It was an incredibly perceptive question, not a dumb question at all.
We ended up talking about how the biggest difference between East and West palettes isnāt flavor. Itās texture.
Many foods in China are prepared soft: boiled noodles, steamed vegetables.
I told her how, when we did research on Chinese travelers going global, one of the most common complaints we got from travelers going to France is that the food is too hard.
Itās a small example, but this is where cross-market strategies either work or break.
How well do you know the customer? How able are you to give them what they want? And - most importantly - how do you empower your market-based team who knows the customer best to do their greatest work?
On quality of attention, Kath has this ability to zero in on what actually matters in the moment, even with everything coming at her.
These last few years, someone in this role is basically a global diplomat. Navigating the shifting global landscape while still running a growth business across diverse regions requires a different level of focus than most anyone can muster.
For those of us lucky to interact with Kath, we're grateful. She genuinely cares about people and customers, and she puts in the effort to understand them in a way that most executives just donāt.
And, like everyone else, incredibly curious to see what's next!
