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January 30, 2026 | S2 EP 9
How to Inspire Employee Adoption Without Forcing It
Missy Pool | Executive Leader/Retail Consultant | Silver Linings
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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).