Wolf

History of WOLF

The genesis of WOLF lay in a realization and series of events that occurred in December 2004. At that time Julie Gilbert was leading the Magnolia Home Theatre initiative for Best Buy, now a $45 billion annual revenue consumer electronics and entertainment business. Since she had been leading the Magnolia initiative (which was designed for the high-end male customer market) Julie had become increasingly aware of the sea change that was taking place around women’s spending power. Simply put, as with every major industry around the globe, an overwhelming majority of purchases in Best Buy stores were being made by women.

The realization of the spending shift towards women and two events on the same day that December served as the catalyst for WOLF – (1) a meeting with a 23 year-old female store employee who confided in Julie that the reason Julie was hugged by female employees was that those employees saw her as a role model in a company (and industry) where senior female leaders were absent and (2) a conversation with senior male colleague who told Julie that while she was respected for her creativity and business building capability, she was “hated” by the few executive women in Best Buy.
That night Julie had a dream which took her back to her childhood in South Dakota, where as a child she would stay up late at night listening to wolves howl. She immediately saw the commonality between what was happening at Best Buy and wolves.

Wolves are misperceived and misunderstood – contrary to popular stereotypes, wolves are intensely loyal, community driven animals that collaborate and cooperate and often stay together for generations. They also embrace diversity through taking-in stray wolves, who can become the alpha wolf.
Similarly Best Buy, a company that was organized and structured to serve males, completely misunderstood that women were now their key customer audience. Furthermore, Best Buy had not engaged the one group that could help them serve the female market - women employees. No female executives existed in the retail field (the highest ranking women was a district manager) and female employees did not have a voice in strategic discussions on how to serve female customers.
Julie realized that for Best Buy to thrive in this new world, it would have to become the destination for women to work and shop.  To do so, however, would require a fundamental re-wiring of a $45 billion enterprise which was wired to serve the male market.

Traditional methods, with their top-down approach and lack of authenticity would not work. Julie’s key belief was that if you gave voice to female employees and customers and allowed them to participate in a disciplined program of innovation, then you would start a movement capable of driving and sustaining significant business growth. Julie also knew that from the outset that in order for the WOLF system to be successful it had to be driving measureable business outcomes. The initial outcomes chosen were growth of female market share, recruitment of women, and retention of female employees.
Drawing on the wolf metaphor, Julie created an innovation architecture that brought female employees and female customers together in “WOLF packs” to drive innovative new product and service offerings for the female market.  WOLF packs were the name given to employee packs while Omega WOLF packs designated female customers.

"WOLF enables employees to be successful for WHO they are instead of IN SPITE of who they are," Former Best Buy CEO, 2006

WOLF packs were comprised of employees at all levels of the organization – corporate, field, senior leaders, sales clerks, men, women, multi-functional. A pack was focused on innovating a specific business area, and members joined WOLF packs based on their passion for the business area being innovated.

Omega WOLF packs were comprised of female customers who were passionate about changing Best Buy. As with the WOLF packs, members selected particular teams based on their passion for the business area being innovated.
Julie believed that the packs needed a set of guiding principles so that they could maximize their effectiveness, and came-up with the three pillars of WOLF:

•    Commitment - to the business, customers and other members of the pack
•    Networking -  amongst at all levels internally and externally to nurture and support one another
•    Giveback - giving back to women and girls in local communities.

Julie persevered and early into launching WOLF negotiated the exclusive rights to all WOLF intellectual property as well as the freedom to take WOLF to companies outside of Best Buy.  Wolf Means Business is now engaged with companies in many industries creating financial and cultural growth.

Four years after the dream which lead to the creation of WOLF, the business outcomes WOLF achieved are unprecedented and WOLF @ Best Buy continues:

Revenue
 •    $4.4 billion increase in revenue from female customers
(11% increase in total company revenue)

Market Share
 •    Highest ever female market share in company history
•    Females became the majority of the most “valuable “customers

Brand Reputation
 •    Largest increase in brand perception in company history

Network
 •    Passionate, global, viral customer networks growing market share and innovating new business offerings
•    Over 40,000 members in 40 plus countries

Performance Outcomes
 •    5% reduction in female turnover resulting in a minimum of $25 million in savings
•    18% increase in the number of female employees.
•    100% increase in females in the most profitable business unit
•    40% increase in female General Managers & General Managers In Training
•    60%  increase in female Operations Managers
•    30%  increase in female Customer Experience Managers

In March of 2009, Julie knew the time had come for her to depart Best Buy and take WOLF to other organizations and to continue to build a global women’s movement. Over the years, numerous Fortune 100 businesses and non-profits sought out WOLF for assistance in developing new product and service offerings for the female market. Julie formed WOLF Means Business in May 2009, and is now helping these and other organizations authentically innovate and grow their businesses.

"As leaders, our role is to get others to believe in themselves and become someone they never dreamed possible." Julie Gilbert