Retail is one of the industries with the biggest workforces and with huge volumes of customers to match. People are a vital aspect of retail. Terms like “our people are our most important asset” or “we put the customer at the heart” are often proclaimed but are at risk of being overlooked. Classic business outcomes like profit tend to fight it’s way into pole position, guiding us about how we think, behave and act. To help us reflect on how we embrace humanity, Philippa White, author of Return On Humanity, joins to explain and explore what it really means to be human-centred.
Listen to this episode to discover:
- Why many businesses are ‘broken’ right now?
- How a company can adopt more “human” behaviours.
- Why human-centric businesses are far more commercially successful.
Introducing Philippa White
Philippa White is a global thought leader, social innovator and the Founder and CEO of TIE Leadership. For 20 years she has been unlocking the potential of corporate leaders and teams with a unique approach to leadership development. By igniting the power of a people-first approach to business her processes not only enhance commercial success, but create a more sustainable world.
Philippa has experienced life across the world. She was born in South Africa, grew up in Canada and, following an exchange programme in Thailand, moved to the United Kingdom. In the UK, she worked in advertising before moving to her current home in Brazil.
Philippa is a fellow podcaster, hosting the TIE Unearthed Podcast – available in all of the usual podcast apps. She is a speaker and author of ‘Return on Humanity’. She works as a mentor and advisor for companies looking to inject more humanity into their businesses.
Find out more about TIE Leadership.
Follow and connect with Philippa White on LinkedIn.
Return on Humanity
‘Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the world’ recognises that the bottom line is no longer a number.
Business can be a force for good, although many companies aren’t built to make it that right now. But it’s simpler than you might think and many businesses are already making a strong start and in turn, are becoming highly successful,
Philippa White’s book looks at stories from all over the world and embraces lessons from people from all walks of life. Return on Humanity gives practical lessons and important reflection points to help us be better leaders, and lead better companies.
“Without outside intervention, it’s hard for people to actively seek out opportunities to step out of the normal ways of behaving.”
Return on Humanity is published by Practical Inspiration Publishing, and is out now.
Additional podcast episodes to check out next
Listen into another recently published author in episode 279: Being Confident Despite Uncertainty, as Julie Smith joins the podcast. Julie explores how leaders can build confidence, recognising the importance and dangers of this very human trait.
In episode 283: The Human Side Of Change, Oliver explores the people factors which can propel or slow down transformation initiatives. This episode was part of the special episodes celebrating the book launch for Driving Retail Transformation.
And finally, neglecting people and humanity is, in many ways, a simple thing to do. And when pushed by short-term constraints and targets, it’s easy to let this happen by mistake. However, this is a sure way to encourage long-term pains. So listen to episode 274: Short Term Gains, Long Term Pains (part 1) and episode 275: (part 2) to find out how to overcome this challenge.