In 2016 when the DXL store leadership was approximately 70% male, the women observed what they categorized as a natural comradery between their male counterparts and/or senior male leaders. This prompted them to seek similar interactions on a leadership level. The women explored ways to engage and develop relationships with other female leaders, especially those in the home office whom they didn’t interact with on a regular basis.

DXL piloted a Women’s Leadership Group (“WLG”) in the Spring of 2016. The membership consisted of female Regional Sales Managers and several female leaders from the home office; they dedicated time to interact and support each other in an entirely new way. The WLG crafted a mission statement, added rules of engagement to ensure all members had a safe outlet to share their challenges, celebrate their successes and provide a chance to facilitate discussions on a wide variety of topics.

After a successful pilot, the DXL Women’s Leadership Group became an ongoing affinity group in 2017. Word of mouth sparked interest and membership increased from 10 to 40 participants. This prompted separating the large group into smaller more intimate teams to facilitate connection, communication and sharing. The founding members meet quarterly to provide guidance and establish agenda topics for future monthly meetings with their groups.

The members of the smaller groups volunteer to facilitate the monthly meetings, which allows each member to practice their leadership and facilitation skills by hosting meetings and identifying resources and content to share. This opportunity to discuss relevant topics and share ideas has enabled members of the WLG to forge meaningful relationships with other female leaders at DXL. DXL continues to produce a community of women who support and cheer for each other.

Tracy Piper