Melissa Reiff is the new face of the much beloved The Container Store. Many people are still unaware of the change in the leadership guard that took place last July. Reiff took over for long-time CEO Kip Tindell, who founded the company in 1978 and has since stayed on as chairman after stepping down.
One thing that has not changed, thankfully, is The Container Store’s continued commitment to “conscious capitalism” and its servant leadership-driven culture. To nobody’s surprise, The Container Store remains one of the best places to work and to shop in America. Its No. 49 ranking on Fortune‘s annual list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” marks 18 consecutive years that the retailer has been included on the employer-of-choice list.
“We continuously strive to create a better, more innovative and compelling place to shop and to work, for the near and long term success of our company. That includes a relentless focus on doing what’s right for ALL of our stakeholders by operating our business through the lens of our Foundation Principles and a commitment to conscious leadership,” Reiff told me over email.
Having witnessed my share of leadership train wrecks over the years, I was most impressed with the principle of “Communication IS Leadership,” which Reiff personally crafted in definition as “daily execution of practicing consistent, reliable, predictable, effective, thoughtful, compassionate, and yes, even courteous communication.”
In even simpler terminology, they strive for every single employee in the company to know absolutely everything. While this can be a daunting undertaking for any company, The Container Store firmly acknowledges the power behind this principle on its website, which states “nothing makes someone feel more a part of a team than knowing everything has been communicated to them. We know that some information we share could fall into competitors’ hands, but the advantages far outweigh the risks.”
