One of the featured presenters at this year’s Women in Textiles Summit – our own Apparel & Home Décor Sales Director Samantha Marion – focused on a topic of significance to the whole industry. The so-called “Silver Wave” of retirement is likely affecting anyone in the business right now. Samantha used her platform at the Advanced Textiles Association-led event and her prowess as a leader in her 30s to detail her proactive approach to management, leadership, and collaboration with colleagues that were often older than her in an industry that is often male-dominated.
The two top points of Samantha’s presentation are:
–Take a risk, even if that means you make a mistake – She calls mistakes “learning accelerators,” emphasizing their importance in growth and retention. Samantha backs her advice with neuroscience examples, including citing the brain’s ability to form “prediction error” signaling that causes potions of the brain to readjust and rewire based on mistakes, strengthening neural pathways.
–Know your strengths and use them – Bolstered by research from Gallup, Samantha says employees who use their strengths daily are more engaged at work, more productive, build confidence, reduce burnout, and are more effective communicators. She shared her results from Gallup’s Clifton Strengthsfinder assessment, which include “Relator,” “Empathy,” and “Restorative.”
To apply strengths, Samantha says it takes four steps:
- Identify them
- Align them
- Communicate them
- Find support for them
What’s next with regard to the current spate of retirements in the textile industry and how leaders of a younger generation can step up? There are no shortage of opinions, proposals, and strategies circulating. Another Women in Textiles Summit advocate and presenter, Dr. Apurba Banerjee of Standard Textiles, explored the concept and provided her thoughts – which focus heavily on mentorship and self-advocacy – in a recent episode of the Textile Nerd Podcast.
TVF has been a supporter and sponsor of the Women in Textiles Summit since the annual gathering launched. Our contingent in attendance this year included a cross-section of leaders at all levels throughout our entire enterprise.
Want to continue the conversation? Connect with Apparel & Home Décor Sales Director Samantha Marion via email and on LinkedIn.
