Joe Jackman - The Reinventionist Mindset: Learning to love change, and the human how of doing it brilliantly

Copyright 2020 by Joe Jackman

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ISBN 978-1-989025-92-5 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-989025-93-2 (ebook)

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Jacket and interior design by Peter Cocking

Ebook by Bright Wing Books (brightwing.ca)

Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Distributed in the US and internationally by Publishers Group West, a division of Ingram

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Reinventionist Mindset TM is a registered trademark of Jackman Reinvention Inc.

Contents

Landmarks

Foreword

Its 2002, and I am sitting on a couch in the corner of a lounge area at my daughters school, during a father/daughter dance event. At the other end of the couch is John Lederer, then President of the Canadian retail behemoth Loblaw Companies Limited. We had met several years before, when the Loblaw real estate department had reached out to enquire about Club Monaco. At the time I was President as well as Founder, and Loblaw was interested in including the brand in one of their retail developments. Instead, we went on to create and open a breakthrough lifestyle store called Everyday Living, the genesis for what would later become the retail chain Caban. Lederer knew when we met that I had sold Club Monacowhat had by then become a hugely successful apparel chainto Ralph Lauren a few years prior, and was curious as to what my plans were. I shared that I had returned to the entrepreneurial world, becoming a consultant and exploring a number of ventures. Hearing this, he asked a simple question: Would you consider designing twenty home and kitchen items under the Presidents Choice brand? I went on to create PC Home, a line of thoughtfully designed and affordable houseware items under the legendary food brand Presidents Choice. So began a journey that would lead me to the two Joes... Joe Fresh, what would become the fastest-growing brand of affordable style in Canada and ultimately my namesake brand, and Joe Jackman.

As those who know me would attest, Im not a pushover when it comes to branding and every aspect of design specification. I built my career on understanding the power of design and how to use it to build true brand distinction. How it is essential to not only creating meaningful differentiation, but more broadly, how it can reframe customer perception of entire categories of goods. When the opportunity of creating a new apparel line for Loblaw arose, I had some very strong opinions on not just the design of the product I was tapped to create and source, but also on everything to do with the brand: the name and image, the photography style, how it would show up in-store, packaging details, and launch communications right down to the fonts. Well, as it turns out, so did Jackman. When I was first asked to work with him on the creation of the brand beyond the product itselfhe at the time a strategic creative consultant to LoblawI expected I could either listen to what he had to say or completely ignore it, depending on whether I agreed with his thinking. This was not to be however, as within a few months he crossed over from consultant to Loblaws new head of national Marketing responsible for taking Joe Fresh to market. In other words, he became a key collaborator and fellow decision maker in the process. Given that I was waist-deep in designing, sourcing, and operationalizing a new brand from scratch, this was a complication I could do without.

What struck me first about Jackman was how, behind his easy-going and affable style, there was a tenacity and belief in his work. It reminded me of, well, me. It followed that we of course bucked heads on everything from logo design and model selection to marketing tactics. Yet there was one thing we were 100 percent aligned on: Joe Fresh would come out of the gate fully formed, with a distinct voice and point of view that would compel customers to visit and buy. What made this bold was that it was counter to the prevailing thinking at the time, namely that customers would shop Joe Fresh while shopping for groceries. We quietly agreed that, when we were done, the opposite would be true. Customers and non-customers alike would make special trips to Loblaw stores to shop Joe Fresh, and pick up some groceries and home goods while they were there. Joe Fresh would become a destination brand.

From a less than smooth start, this was the beginning of a wonderful collaboration between the Joes that carries on to this day. We were both passionate in the belief that there was always a better and more creative way to do things. We were intent on proving that a deep customer understanding and focus combined with strategic creativity would deliver sustainable results. And, we learned a valuable lesson in how important it is to achieve buy-in at every level of an organizationthat by engaging and inspiring people in creative, strategic, and disarmingly human ways, the odds of success are greatly increased.

Joe Fresh became the number one apparel brand in Canada in units and dollars, an amazing success. I had heard about the superb transformation Jackman had gone on to tackle at Duane Reade in New York, so I called him to ask if he was interested in another project. This brought about our collaboration on the creation of the Dip brand for Kroger (at $120 billion in sales, the worlds largest grocer). It was John Lederer (that name again) who put us together on the Staples transformation, with Jackman Reinvents tapped for strategy and customer experience and me and my team contributing product design. Where once there was uncertainty Do I really need this guy involved? now there was confidence and excitement at the possibility of further collaborations.

I share these thoughts with you for one reason: if you are a leader at any level of an organization, or an entrepreneur, this book is a must-read. You already know the world is changing fast. You hopefully appreciate the importance of design and creativity in the commercial act of setting a business course and bringing it to life. Now, you need to learn how to do it all brilliantly, quickly, and humanly . As a Dragon on CBC Televisions hit show Dragons Den , I was always emphasizing the importance of understanding the true needs of the customer, and how to differentiate a product or service. I have always worked intuitively, synthesizing great design and taste, looking at consumer trends, and capitalizing on those unmet needs. Yet Joe Jackmans secret sauce, which he shares in The Reinventionist Mindset , opened my mind to new and thoughtful ideas on making change and getting it to stick.

All strategies ultimately lose their relevance. For those who intend to not only survive but thrive by creating change, The Reinventionist Mindset is a distillation of lessons learned and built upon, delivered in an easy-to-read form, with practical ideas for charting your own course. Consider it an antidote to the inevitability of failure and an opportunity to actively embrace your future.