▍Background

Crate and Barrel's success, according to founder Gordon Segal in a recent interview with The Guardian newspaper in London, comes in part from its social contract with associates, which according to Segal means, “if you give us your career we will treat you like family.”

Segal, who started with one store and now has more than 160, also said it was never his goal to build an empire. "Our goal was to be the best, not the biggest." So how does an organization stay true to its values, keep its culture intact, and remain the best as it grows exponentially?

▍Solutions

The feedback from store managers who use Fierce is unanimously positive, and Christy sees direct results in the Fierce-trained store managers who, post-training, are able to quickly identify and resolve personnel issues with good communication skills to keep their staff working productively.

▍Results

For Lou St. Ville, success with Fierce is obvious. When they use Fierce, Lou observes, participants are able to incorporate new skills immediately upon returning to their work environment—be it a store, a distribution center, or corporate department. Lou has become an impassioned Fierce advocate because Fierce provides materials that are straightforward, understandable, relatable, practical, and powerful. Fierce helps Crate and Barrel develop productive, competent associates critical to Crate and Barrel's retailing success.