While Steve Cox has, unsurprisingly, always loved reading, his early career was more focussed on fashion than fables.
"I had worked for David Jones, done an MBA and was the general manager of a fashion group when I got a call from the CEO of Dymocks, asking me to come over to become a general manager of its operations," he says.
Keen to help what he describes as a trusted brand move into the future, Cox embraced the challenge. Four years on, he has nine direct reports and manages a team of 140 in an industry that's going through significant change.
"There is tremendous change across a lot of industries, including retail as a whole.
People now have tremendous access to get to the reading materials they love. But people still love to read and that shows up across the board," he says.
Cox says the business opportunity lies in connecting customers with curated ranges, but as a boss his work is ensuring the team is on the same page, particularly in an industry facing uncertainty.
"[Bosses need to] make sure there is a shared and clear purpose, and that the individuals within it have a clear idea of where it is that you're heading, and how you'll get there," he says.
He also tries to actively encourage the occasional dose of risk-taking.
"People need to understand they can take risks, and as long as they have the customer at the centre of their mind, that they are encouraged to make decisions."
CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Steve Cox
Current position: Managing director, Dymocks and Dymocks Children's Charities.
Responsibilities: Responsible for management and growth of the Australian and Hong Kong Franchised store network (currently 76 stores), three company owned and partnership stores.
Education: · Master of Business Administration, Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Additional training/courses: · Post Graduate Diploma in Management, Macquarie School of Management.
Professional associations: · Director, Dymocks Children's Charities.
Honourable mentions: · Young Retailer of the Year, NSW, 2006 · Dymocks awarded Australian Book Industry National Retailer of the Year for 2014.
Strength: Working with a group of people to enable them to make decisions, and be part of a team with a clear goal.
Weakness: Slightly perfectionistic behaviour — that leads to always seeing the things we could have done better, but not focusing on what we've done well.
Management style and tips: Inclusive and open.
Work motto: Learning from what we're doing today to make sure the longer-term position is better than what we've left behind.
