Archives: Podcasts

SHOW NOTES

Strategy has never been the problem. Execution is where things fall apart.

Retail is full of smart ideas, bold plans, and well-intentioned strategies. But once those ideas leave the boardroom and hit the field, they often unravel in the handoffs, the overload, and the messy middle between intention and reality.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Kevin Ertell, CEO of Mistere Advisory and a veteran retail operator, to unpack why most strategies fail at execution, and what field leaders can do to change that.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience across Tower Records, Borders, Sur La Table, and Nike, Kevin shares why execution is always a people challenge before it’s a process one. He introduces The Six Cs of Execution, a practical framework designed to help leaders slow down to speed up, bring clarity to complexity, and turn strategy into something teams can actually act on day to day.

From co-creation and clarity to communication and coaching, this conversation explores how leaders can create the conditions for execution to succeed, especially under constant pressure. Ron and Kevin dig into the realities of frontline leadership, from navigating cross-functional chaos to building trust, ownership, and momentum on the shop floor.

If you’ve ever rolled out a strategy that made sense on paper but didn’t stick in stores, this episode breaks down where things went wrong, and how to build execution that lasts.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• (01:28) Why Kevin’s career started on the frontline, and how those early experiences shaped his view of execution
• (05:22) Why most strategies fail, and why execution is the real competitive advantage
• (06:24) What surprised Kevin after interviewing 60+ operators across industries about execution
• (09:06) The Six Cs of Execution, and how they’re split between “setting the stage” and “showtime”
• (10:42) Why slowing down upfront is the fastest way to move later
• (12:26) What Hamilton can teach leaders about piloting, iteration, and getting strategy ready for the real world
• (14:04) Why execution breaks down in the messy middle between HQ and the frontline
• (15:14) How co-creation builds alignment, commitment, and ownership on the floor
• (17:38) Why clarity around the “why” and the “what” matters more than controlling the “how”
• (19:02) How field leaders can apply the Six Cs in a single day, not just during big transformations
• (21:17) What “early, loud, and continuous” communication really looks like in stores
• (31:21) A real-world example of getting execution wrong, and how rebuilding with frontline input changed everything
• (35:21) One thing leaders can do tomorrow to improve execution without adding more work

BONUS CONTENT

• Pre-order Kevin Ertell‘s book here: https://a.co/d/4BDk15j

GUEST BIO

Kevin Ertell is a veteran executive and trusted advisor with more than 30 years of experience leading transformations at brands like Nike, Tower Records, and Sur La Table. As founder and CEO of Mistere Advisory, he helps companies of all sizes bring clarity, alignment, and action to their strategies. Known for his straight talk, practical insight, and ability to cut through complexity, Kevin draws on deep experience across leadership, operations, and digital growth to help teams turn ideas into results. When he’s not helping companies get unstuck, he’s likely playing bass, cooking for family, or following Cleveland sports with stubborn optimism.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).

SHOW NOTES

Retail has never struggled with ideas. What it struggles with is adoption.

Retail has never struggled with ideas. What it struggles with is adoption.

Rolling out new tools, systems, and ways of working is easy on paper. Getting frontline teams to believe in them, trust them, and actually use them is where most initiatives break down.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Missy Poole, executive leader, board member, and former senior operator at Apple, Ralph Lauren, Gap Inc., and West Elm, to unpack what real adoption looks like on the frontline, and why trust, not technology, is the deciding factor.

Drawing on decades spent leading in stores, not just designing strategy from HQ, Missy shares why leaders move too fast, where adoption efforts fail, and how the most successful rollouts are built collaboratively with frontline teams from day one. From peer-led adoption to slowing down under pressure, this conversation reframes change management as a leadership responsibility rooted in connection, listening, and belief.

If you’ve ever rolled out a new tool and wondered why it didn’t stick, this episode explains what went wrong, and how to do it differently next time.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• (07:23) Why great frontline leadership starts with being alongside your teams, not managing from a distance
• (10:54) Missy’s go-to playbook for understanding what teams really need when entering a new environment
• (12:40) How vulnerability and lived experience build trust faster than authority ever will
• (14:07) Why technology adoption succeeds when leaders focus on impact, not features
• (17:18) The mistake leaders make when they force technology into human relationships
• (18:41) How data and proof points help teams believe in new tools without losing authenticity
• (21:30) Why moving too fast is the fastest way to create resistance on the frontline
• (22:30) How acknowledging mistakes can rebuild trust and accelerate adoption
• (24:02) What authentic leadership looks like after decades in the field
• (28:27) How Apple reshaped Missy’s approach to feedback, bias, and positive intent
• (30:30) How to scale trust, feedback, and performance across large frontline teams
• (36:18) Missy’s advice for leaders rolling out new tools in 2026: collaborate early, build the why together, and show up on day one

GUEST BIO

Missy Pool specializes in building dynamic teams focused on profitable sales growth and client connections. She has supported customer and employee engagement, merchandising, store operations, real estate, planning, and distribution in both luxury and mass categories.

Currently, she focuses on strategies that positively impact employee and customer experience through digital training and communication platforms. She has held corporate leadership roles at Apple, Ralph Lauren, and Gap Inc.

Missy connects people and businesses for mutually beneficial partnerships and supports new businesses in building brand identities and engaging customers. She is passionate about assisting female entrepreneurs in implementing technology systems and HR guidelines for efficiency, growth, and customer relationships. Growing up as a female leader in a professional environment, she has established deep roots in her community, impacting the arts and local businesses.

She serves on the Executive Committee of the Madison Ave BID board, the Board of FIT, co-chairs the City Harvest Gala, and mentors for mentoro.org. She also believes strongly in prioritizing health and inspiring others through her health journey. 

Missy enjoys traveling to emerging countries where she can immerse herself in the culture and learn about the people and places she visits for perspective and find ways to support.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).

SHOW NOTES

The biggest gap in retail leadership today isn’t talent or ambition — it’s the pressure to lead without the tools, support, or space to grow.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Steve Worthy, founder of Worthy Retail and creator of one of the most comprehensive global leadership studies in retail today. Together, they unpack the realities behind leadership readiness, the rise of burnout, and the paradox every frontline leader feels: being expected to know everything while rarely being asked what they actually need.

With decades of experience coaching leaders at every level — and fresh data gathered from hundreds of retail respondents worldwide — Steve breaks down the deeper leadership capabilities today’s teams are craving. Not more routines. Not more checklists. But real coaching, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and development that matches the pace of store life.

Ron and Steve explore why only a small fraction of leaders feel fully prepared, why retainability now matters as much as retention, and how AI will reshape decision-making, confidence, and leadership growth over the next few years. They also dig into what organisations get wrong about leadership training, and what it looks like to build cultures where people feel seen, supported, and able to lead with clarity.

If you’ve ever stepped into a leadership role and felt the weight of expectation before the training arrived, or wondered why so many new managers burn out, this conversation offers the roadmap.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• (02:07) Why Steve launched a global retail leadership study and the early signals that pushed him to do it
• (05:22) Leaders don’t want more routine training — they want depth, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness
• (07:22) The moment retailers realised the development gap: frontline leaders are asking for C-suite-level skills
• (09:06) The Retail Leader Paradox: expected to know everything with nowhere safe to ask for help
• (10:02) Why only a small fraction of leaders feel prepared and how culture and fear widen the gap
• (14:56) How AI changes leadership confidence and decision-making — and why leaders need clarity before tools
• (17:29) Why 85% of AI projects fail and how retailers often solve the wrong problem first
• (19:17) Retention vs. retainability: why people stay when they see themselves in the company’s long-term vision
• (21:40) The first move every organisation should make: get an outside perspective to uncover the real leadership gaps
• (32:14) Steve’s two-minute self-reflection exercise that reveals the number one thing holding leaders back

BONUS CONTENT

• Join The Campus – a learning community created to equip senior leaders to identify and solve YOUR specific leadership challenges.
• Read the blog: The Leadership Paradox: Expected to Know, Afraid to Ask

GUEST BIO

Steve Worthy believes a leader’s first job is to define reality – to understand the specific problem their leadership and their business exist to solve. Without that clarity, leaders and organizations fail to progress.

As Founder and CEO of Worthy Retail Global, Steve helps senior retail leaders step out of noise, see what truly matters, and lead with grounded confidence. Over his career, he has worked for and alongside some of the largest brands in retail. What I’ve learned is clarity scales. Teams don’t follow energy – they follow clarity. When leaders get clear, everything starts to move.

Through The Campus, our membership community, Steve provides a practical environment where leaders learn to simplify decisions, align their teams, and communicate expectations. Leaders come away with clarity that improves conversations, strengthens culture, and moves the business in a direction everyone understands.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).

SHOW NOTES

The strongest retention strategy in retail isn’t a program or a perk — it’s a person who shows up with purpose.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Billy Kissel, Head of Stores for the East at Office Depot, to break down why visibility, presence, and culture-building matter more than ever. With 35+ years across brands like Gap, J.Crew, West Elm, and Office Depot, Billy has led teams through every kind of market shift — and the through-line is always the same: people stay when leaders lead with intent.

Billy and Ron revisit their full-circle journey, then go deep on what it actually takes to retain today’s frontline teams. From protecting store time on the calendar, to recognising wins in real time, to closing the loop on feedback with radical transparency, Billy shares the practices that have transformed cultures and lifted performance across hundreds of stores.

They also examine the real drivers of retention — why compensation is only one piece of the puzzle, how visibility builds trust, and why being physically present (or on camera) still matters in a hybrid world.

If you’ve ever wondered why some teams stay loyal and others churn, or what frontline-first leadership looks like in practice, this conversation is a masterclass.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• (01:58) How Ron and Billy first met and built one of their strongest early teams
• (04:22) Why compensation matters — but culture is still the core of retention
• (05:14) The New York moment that reshaped Billy’s view on paying top performers
• (08:08) Why presence and visibility are non-negotiable for effective leadership
• (09:45) How Billy scales presence across hundreds of stores and large teams
• (11:02) How being seen and humanising leadership builds trust at every level
• (12:31) Turning frontline feedback into action — and closing the loop with clarity
• (16:15) Why celebrating “winner’s laps” reinforces culture and boosts retention
• (20:00) How one internal promotion transformed a previously unmotivated region
• (30:31) Billy’s one action every leader should take tomorrow to improve retention

GUEST BIO

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Billy Kissel, Head of Stores for the East at Office Depot, to break down why visibility, presence, and culture-building matter more than ever. With 35+ years across brands like Gap, J.Crew, West Elm, and Office Depot, Billy has led teams through every kind of market shift — and the through-line is always the same: people stay when leaders lead with intent.

Billy and Ron revisit their full-circle journey, then go deep on what it actually takes to retain today’s frontline teams. From protecting store time on the calendar, to recognising wins in real time, to closing the loop on feedback with radical transparency, Billy shares the practices that have transformed cultures and lifted performance across hundreds of stores.

They also examine the real drivers of retention — why compensation is only one piece of the puzzle, how visibility builds trust, and why being physically present (or on camera) still matters in a hybrid world.

If you’ve ever wondered why some teams stay loyal and others churn, or what frontline-first leadership looks like in practice, this conversation is a masterclass.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).

SHOW NOTES

Safety and performance aren’t opposites — they’re inseparable.

The final touchpoint in any brand isn’t a billboard or a website — it’s a person.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Ian Scott, retail consultant and founder of Ian Scott Retail, to unpack why store associates are the true “last mile” of marketing — and how the best brands turn everyday interactions into brand-defining moments.

After decades leading innovation tours and working with brands like LEGO, Coca-Cola, and L’Oréal, Ian has seen one thing hold true across every market: people make the difference. From Tokyo to New York, the stores that win are the ones where teams believe in what they’re selling — and are trusted to bring the brand to life.

Together, Ron and Ian explore what great service looks like across cultures, why “AI should enhance retail, not replace it,” and how investing in your people is the smartest marketing move you can make.

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens in the “last marketing mile,” this one’s for you.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• (03:52) Why Ian fell in love with the “sharp end” of retail
• (06:37) What unites great stores around the world — and what sets them apart
• (09:42) Why innovation moves faster in Asia
• (13:32) How honest voices can re-inspire pride in retail
• (17:39) Why retail is 90% common sense — and what that really means
• (22:07) Why store associates are “the living, breathing embodiment of the brand”
• (24:09) How Lush empowers teams to act like owners
• (28:27) What “revenge shopping” taught us about human connection
• (32:12) Why the best stores are “wonderfully analog”
• (34:18) How belief and trust turn employees into brand storytellers
• (40:28) Ian’s one piece of advice for retail leaders — and it’s pure common sense

GUEST BIO

Ian is an independent retail consultant with a passion for physical retail. He travels the world visiting stores and sharing his insights. He curates and hosts Retail Safaris as well as delivering Key Note speeches and presenting Retail Trends and Insights.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).

SHOW NOTES

Safety and performance aren’t opposites — they’re inseparable.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Dean Correia, Founder of Correia Security Resources, to unpack what it really takes to keep stores safe without slowing teams down.

After more than 30 years leading security operations for brands like Walmart, Starbucks, and Gap, Dean has seen firsthand that the safest place to work is the best place to work. From embedding safety into daily huddles to turning critical incidents into leadership opportunities, he shares how great managers protect their people, and their profits, through consistency, care, and communication.

Together, Ron and Dean explore how safety culture builds trust, why shrink is now a boardroom topic, and how every frontline leader can create accountability without fear.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make safety part of your store’s rhythm — not just a policy on paper — this one’s for you.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• (02:11) Why “the safest place to work is the best place to work”
• (03:32) The leadership lessons Dean learned from crisis and loss
• (06:35) Why you should lead with humanity, not hierarchy
• (07:35) How to address rising incivility and organized crime in retail
• (11:00) The one policy Dean says every brand should have
• (13:50) Why safety is about trust — not just shrink
• (16:14) How engagement and security fuel better store performance
• (17:54) What Walmart and others are doing to invest in safety
• (20:26) A simple framework for incident reporting that actually works
• (24:11) How shrink impacts pay, hours, and customer experience
• (28:18) Why every leader should “serve the store” — not just run it
• (33:05) How to embed safety into your store culture, every day

BONUS CONTENT

• People and Asset Protection One Pager
• Simple Steps to Keep Your Teams Safe
• Dean Correia’s No Heroes Policy

GUEST BIO

Having experienced multiple workplace deaths and murders, Dean Correia’s mission is to help make workplaces & communities safer. He is a security risk consultant based in Toronto providing risk management solutions based on research and proven practices learned and implemented during his 30+ years as a security practitioner.

Some of his career highlights include leading Walmart Canada’s security event planning for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the G8/G20 summit. At Starbucks Coffee, he played a key role in the creation, development, and implementation of auditing and investigative programs that delivered millions of dollars to the bottom line.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).