Excellence in Leadership
Cathy Langley, LPC, Senior Director of Loss Prevention, Rite Aid
“I don’t believe that leading in asset protection is much different than leading in other industries,” said Langley. “Of course, high integrity is a must. But ultimately, for any true leader, the focus has to be on people. I believe in and always attempt to practice servant leadership. I work for my team and not the other way around. If serving is below you, then leadership is beyond you.”
Langley has spent her entire career with Rite Aid, starting as a file clerk for the security department while attending high school and business school in York, Pennsylvania. Since that time, she has held positions with increasing responsibility within the company, working her way up the ladder to become corporate director of loss prevention in 2000, director of loss prevention analytics in 2002, and then senior director of loss prevention in 2011.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always believed that it’s important to work smarter, not harder,” she said. “I’ve always tried to instill that mentality in myself, my team, and our field leaders. By understanding the data, processes, people, and opportunities, you can develop new ways to support both the team and the business to drive results.”
When considering what advice she would offer young leaders working their way up the career ladder, Langley believes that self-reflection is the best place to start. “The first step is to learn and understand who you are—really get to know yourself,” she said. “Embrace your strengths and the opportunities that arise once those strengths are recognized. This helps you learn to focus more on others and less on yourself. Only then can you truly accept the mantle of leadership.”
Nominations Are Encouraged
The LPM team is privileged to have a front-row seat to the very best in the loss prevention industry, providing a unique opportunity to present positive, productive ways to promote loss prevention, build successful and constructive partnerships, educate and inform the LP community, and support the thought leadership that drives us forward.
The LP Magazine “Magpie” Awards are a means to celebrate industry accomplishments on an ongoing basis, recognizing the loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, law enforcement partners, and others that demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession. Cathy Langley is among our May–June 2018 recipients.
We want this to be your program. Those of you working as LP practitioners witness these exceptional performances on a regular and ongoing basis, and we strongly encourage you to provide us with nominees for each of the award categories. We encourage creative nominations and want the program to cast a positive light on the many tremendous contributions of the loss prevention community. Nominations can be submitted via email to excellence [at] LPportal.com.
Find out who else has been recognized in the May–June 2018 issue – check out “LPM “Magpie” Awards: Applauding Excellence.”