Coffee Chat: Constantly Build Relationships and be Nimble

On June 7, Samsung’s Richardson, TX office hosted a Coffee Chat session with Michael Forrest, Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Retail Operations Division. This was the second installment of the new Coffee Chat series, produced by the Employee Engagement team to improve visibility into the varying divisions at SEA and allow employees to hear leadership success stories from executives. These internal events also foster inter-department networking and allow employees to interact with each other outside of their daily operations.

As Senior Vice President and General Manager of Retail Operations at Samsung Electronics America, Michael Forrest is a strategic leader focused on creating an innovative consumer experience. Responsible for driving the retail strategy across all channels and products within the U.S. market, Michael continuously elevates the Samsung brand by developing cutting-edge experiential retail solutions. Michael executes the entire in-store brand experience, delivering a best-in-class touch point for Samsung consumers at over 60,000 retail locations nationwide.

Michael Forrest, Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Retail Operations Division

Q: Michael, for those that aren’t familiar, can you describe to us what the Retail Operations department is and how it impacts the overall Samsung brand?

Michael: The Retail Operations team manages the in-store brand experience for consumers. We work in tandem with the sales and marketing teams to create an environment that reflects our brand and highlights our technology to consumers. This encompasses designing the branded in-store fixtures that customers interact with, as well as managing the training of the field support team and sales reps.

We constantly challenge ourselves to create an environment in retail that links the capabilities of Samsung’s technology to the compelling needs of the consumer. Our goal is to create a moment of discovery that showcases these capabilities in a manner that impacts and improves the consumer’s life.

Q: What are some ways in which you listen to consumers to better understand their needs?

Michael: We do this through consumer insights, market research, but most importantly, just listening to our instincts and what appeals to us as well. There is absolutely no substitution for speaking to someone who spends 40+ hours a week talking to consumers, answering their questions and understanding their perspectives. This is what our field support team does day-in and day-out, and that is why they are invaluable to us. They are on the front lines, constantly talking to consumers, and have their finger on the pulse of our business.

One of my favorite quotes is by Henry Ford: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” It’s important to always listen to the consumer, but you have to keep the broader picture in mind. It helps teach to connect the dots between consumers expressed needs and unexpressed needs. When you listen to a customer speak about their lifestyles, their needs and their family’s needs, you can draw assumptions on what products will help make their life easier. It’s about looking beyond what’s right in front of you and finding those unexpressed consumer needs to deliver the unexpected. Consumers’ lifestyles and technology needs are constantly changing, and the Retail Operations team is at the crux of that change, showing consumer’s what they need before they even realize they need it. But we need to be listening to the consumer in order to discover what it is they actually need and how we can help.

I believe in creating a culture of trust and two-way information sharing, so there is accountability to each other and not just to the business. So I focus on two mantras: Feed Forward and Know-How, Show-How.

– Michael Forrest, Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Retail Operations Division

 Q: Tell us about what led to your success and what advice you have for others on achieving success in their careers?

Michael: I set three goals for myself every day: 1) Teach something new, 2) Learn something new, and 3) Have fun. I’ve learned that if you don’t actually goal yourself to have fun, you never actually do it. I’m in the business of connecting people, so I try to connect with people on a business and personal level. When it comes to my team, I’ve found it extremely valuable to just be myself.  Be transparent. Be honest. Be real. I don’t try to be a caricature of what I think an executive should be.

My advice for others would be to constantly build relationships and be nimble.

Build Relationships. Informally connecting with people is important to me, whether in person or a random phone call just to check-in. In the field, people are usually surprised, and in the office the response is typically, “what do you need” – but building and growing trusting relationships is the path to success.

Be Nimble. No matter how much I think I know, I can always learn more, as long as I am open to the experience. I’m driven by the constant learning and constant change and growth that retail offers. I eat change like an ice cream sundae. To be successful, especially at a large organization like Samsung, you have to be able to adapt to change and enjoy the ride. Nobody is going to prevent the change from happening. But only you can control how nimble you are during that change.

Q: With the change in consumer’s purchasing behavior shifting to online shopping, how do you keep the Retail aspect relevant?

Michael: The traditional retail environment as a whole is still very important, especially when it comes to technology products. Most of our products are priced at $500 or above, so there are numerous touch points for the consumer when considering their purchase.  The in-store experience is just one of those touch points, in addition to researching online, feedback from friends, etc. We want consumers to explore our products first-hand prior to purchasing. The value of having the in-store experience is still strong – even if consumers ultimately choose to purchase online.

I think it’s important to note that Retail is one area that no one owns. Everyone connects to the customer in some way. My success, the Retail Operations team’s success, is dependent on everyone else in the organization.

Q: Your experience speaks for itself, having worked at global brands such LVMH, Microsoft, Apple and Nordstrom prior to Samsung, but with no formal college education how have you managed to navigate to where you are today?

Michael: I grew up with great mentors and people who believed in me and who helped me grow. I’ve learned first-hand from Bruce Nordstrom and Steve Jobs, who were able to provide me with invaluable advice and experience. And now I try to pay that forward through connecting with individuals and trying to create career opportunities for others. I’ve always let my work speak for itself and focused on creating teams that work synonymously towards a shared and understood goal.

Q: What are some tactics you utilize to bring your team together towards a shared goal?

Michael: I focus on creating a unified culture. We have a credo that defines what our desired culture is, as well as what behavior is outside of that culture. Within any organization of any size, you create the culture or it gets created for you. I believe in creating a culture of trust and two-way information sharing, so there is accountability to each other and not just to the business. So I focus on two mantras: Feed Forward and Know-How, Show-How.

Feed Forward. Anyone, at any level, is expected to give feedback. However, this is a way of giving feedback that impacts the future. It’s about helping others see how they can do better the next time.

Know-How, Show-How. If you have an idea, a technique, a best practice, etc., then it’s your responsibility to share that with the larger team. For example, if you are a single store and you are winning, but the other stores in your district are not, then we are losing. So it’s your cultural duty to pass along any information that can help the greater team succeed.

In addition to fostering a unified culture across the team, there are three specific ways in which I challenge individuals.

Play to Ten. I ask people, on a scale from one to ten, where ten is fully engaged and doing my best and one is just showing up for a paycheck, where do you fall in terms of commitment? Half of the time I ask for an answer and the other half is rhetorical.  It helps to actively engage each team member.

Explainer vs. Achiever. It’s my personal take on winners versus losers. Explainers attribute outside forces as to why they can’t be successful. Achievers find a way to overcome their obstacles and achieve success.

Try. Win-Lose. Learn. I never want a sales associate to be fearful if they don’t sell something. But it is there job to try and engage consumers. It’s their job to ask themselves, “what did I do in that moment to connect with the consumer?” And then it’s their responsibility to ask themselves what happened and to learn from the experience.  If you are here learning from all your wins and losses, you’ll gain the experience you need to pivot and succeed.