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Personal Growth — May 27, 2011

Listen & Love What You Do

Glen T. Senk, CEO of Philadelphia-based retailer Urban Outfitters, says among the secrets to success are to lead an authentic life and to hire the right people—then listen to them.

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What’s the Latest Development?

At a recent lecture, Glen T. Senk, CEO of retailer Urban Outfitters, stressed the importance of recruiting and developing a team that is a good fit for your corporate culture—and then listening to them, even if you have to drag bad news out of them. It seems to work: Urban Outfitters’ operating income has grown by 36% annually as the firm built a large stable of successful brands over the last decade.

What’s the Big Idea?

Another tenet of Senk’s ethos is the importance of pursuing a career for the sheer enjoyment of the work, not just the money. “A lot of my friends who went on to be very successful in investment banking or law or consulting…are not as happy as I am. There is not a day that I don’t wake up bounding out of bed and can’t wait to get to work.”

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