Ivy Exec Mentor Spotlight - Rick Planos

Rick Planos is a retail, branding, and career consultant and runs Global Retail Solutions, at  www.rickplanos.com. He is also very active in non profits, including serving as a Board Member of Mary Crane Centers, a group providing preschool in Chicago for the underserved, a volunteer and mentor at Curt’s Cafe in Evanston, and a Wish Granter, Trainer, Interviewer, and General Volunteer at Make a Wish Illinois. He is also an active mentor in two additional organizations, America Needs You-Chicago  (A.N.Y.) and Chicago Innovation-Ageless Innovators.

Why did you decide to become an Ivy Exec Mentor?

I decided to apply as an Ivy Exec mentor after being a ‘mentee’ for several years. Four or five years ago I joined Ivy Exec and was thrilled with all the opportunities to learn. I was hooked on the mentor program right away and have met many lifelong advisors there. After every session as a mentee I walk away feeling like I owe the mentor $5000 for all the great feedback as well as a connection for life.

What is the most rewarding part of being a Mentor?

At a certain point in my career, there was a tipping point where my fulfillment came more from seeing my teams move forward than myself. I’ve had a long career in retail leadership-a team sport if ever there was one. There also comes a time where you feel the need to share the tough lessons you learned along the way. I’ve always wanted to teach, I went to graduate school for teaching business, and mentoring is the same type of activity.

Can you share one of your most memorable mentoring experiences?

One of my favorite mentoring experiences was quite recent. I was contacted by a fantastic young lady from New York who was also in the field of retail. For all the doom and gloom in the headlines about the changes going on in retail, there are still going to be malls and stores in the future even if they look and feel somewhat different than the past. I was a little nervous as this brilliant young lady was a Harvard graduate, and I am a Big Ten grad. We had an outstanding discussion and have made a great long term connection. She was even able to teach me some new things AND be a resource for my daughter who also lives and works in New York.

What is one piece of advice you would give to new Mentors?

I would say the best advice I could give any new mentor is “Seek to understand, rather than be understood.” So often we are too focused on what we are saying that we don’t listen enough for the clues or perspective of those we are talking with. As I have moved up throughout my career, listening has become more and more critical.

What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned from mentoring others?

The most surprising thing I have learned is that we all are always learning. Anyone that thinks they have all the answers is absolutely wrong. There are things that change every day. Who could have predicted this pandemic, or the seismic change in retail, or the advent of social media? If you want to keep up you need to commit to being a lifetime learner and today there are more and more resources to help you keep a pulse on what is going on. Working with a mentor is one way to broaden your perspective.

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