LPM Magpie Awards: Bill Titus, Excellence in Leadership

The LPM “Magpie” Awards offer 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. Nominate your peers at Excellence[at]LPportal.com.

Excellence in Leadership

Bill Titus, Senior Vice President of Loss Prevention, Sears Holdings (Retired)

“I accidentally started my career in retail as a controller with Montgomery Ward when the job market was difficult—a role I saw as temporary until the employment market improved,” said Titus. “Yet forty-five years later, I was still in retail. As it turned out, there wasn’t a moment that I didn’t enjoy what I was doing. The same dynamics, individual growth, learning, and pace challenged me at each level and motivated me to excel.”

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Titus feels that the opportunity to work with smart, dedicated individuals and “having a small part in helping their growth” are among his greatest accomplishments in loss prevention. “To be successful, you need to be a thought leader, a great developer of people, have the fortitude and resilience to influence outcomes, be a great listener, have the confidence in your team to allow them to influence the organization’s direction, and then lead that change,” he said. “It brings great satisfaction as I look back over my career to see those I had the opportunity to work with now taking their place as leaders in the industry.”

He believes that the path to long-term success starts with being a great learner. “Take the steps to understand the business that you’re in and how your function and your input can impact the organization as a whole,” he said. “It’s not about winning your point but understanding how this leads to the best possible outcome for the company. Also, don’t be afraid to zig-zag along your career path. This helps build your knowledge base and improves your overall value to both your company and the industry. Development happens at all levels. While self-improvement is essential, make sure you’re involved with your team’s growth, the growth and awareness of your partners within the company and others throughout the industry when the opportunity arises.”

 

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