Lululemon sells athletic wear including tops, yoga pants, shorts, sweaters, jackets, and undergarments, as well as hair accessories, bags, yoga mats and water bottles, in retail stores and online. Lululemon is the highest ranked retailer on Glassdoor’s “2020 Best Places to Work” survey for U.S. companies (ranked #22 overall). Some positive comments from associates include the following: • “One of the best jobs I’ve ever had—learned so much about how to be a leader and treat other people.” • “Managers act as coaches: helping you focus on improving your work performance or just achieving your personal or health goals.” • “They care about you as an individual through development and growth.” One of Lululemon’s core values is its investment in store associates’ personal and career goals. You may have shopped in a Lululemon store, but did you notice vision boards posted by employees? These boards are part of a unique goal-setting program in which associates create a 10-year plan for three areas of their lives: health, personal, and career. Lululemon’s company website has a worksheet for employees to use for setting their goals. The purpose of the worksheet.

Many employees say that the vision board has had a positive impact on their lives. It’s also about creating stronger relationships among associates. This happens because associates learn what matters most to their coworkers. This builds friendships at work and increases trust. For example, one associate may ask another, “How is your training for that 5K going?” Another example is when an employee shows the importance of family on their vision board; others may be less quick to judge them when they leave precisely at 5:00 pm. Executives at Lululemon communicate that goal setting is ongoing and something that should be done frequently. Lululemon’s passion for goal setting has drawn some criticism. After associates were on the job for 9 months, they were required to attend self-improvement seminars. Some employees felt forced to attend the seminars, which gave advice such as “not to have a bad day.” In recent years, the pressure to attend the seminars for career advancement has been reduced.....

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think that the vision boards are important to Lululemon’s business success? Explain why or why not. What are some of the benefits of Lululemon’s focus on personal development of its associates?

2. Do some research and locate photos of vision boards. Do you find them inspiring?

3. Do you think the creation of vison boards would work for other retailers? Other companies in general? Why or why not?

4. What is your opinion regarding employees being required to attend personal development workshops and create vision boards?