In this episode of How I Did It - a series exploring the influence and leadership strategies behind real change - I talk to Rick Lambell, CEO of Beyond Sustainable Retail Group and former Head of Sustainable Development at Kmart Australia, about his nearly decade-long journey leading a Living Wage strategy at Kmart. From managing expectations to building collaboration and staying consistent, Rick’s story reveals leadership strategies that carry the weight of long-term systems-change.

Rick shares candid insights on:

• Why collaboration is non-negotiable - inside companies and across industries

• How to manage expectations when timelines are long and topics are technical

• The importance of consistency and belief in long-term change
• How to sustain momentum with milestones and mindsets, even when the finish line feels far away

We don’t just talk about the Living Wage work - we talk about the work behind the work: the influence strategies, leadership lessons and mindset that kept this initiative alive when the path was unclear and the pressure was high.

Note - This conversation was recorded spontaneously, so the sound is a little raw - but that feels fitting for a series about the work behind the work.

📩 Prefer to read? You can find the written How I Did It  feature with the key lessons and episode highlights here:

Read the feature

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