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For more than a decade, the NBA tunnel has become a runway, transforming Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into style icons. NFL stars, on the other hand, have been slower to embrace fashion. But through the NFL’s first official fashion partnership, things might be about to change. Football players are soon going to get on-demand help in their pregame wardrobes. Today, the NFL announces that it is bringing Abercrombie & Fitch on as its first-ever official fashion partner. It’s a multiyear deal that allows the label to feature the NFL in its branding and open pop-up shops at NFL games. The initiative is bigger than just stores, though. Starting this season, players will also have access to a Style Concierge, in which in-house stylists from Abercrombie & Fitch will curate looks pulled from the brand’s latest collection, with a focus on denim and fitted bomber jackets. In a new campaign, players we’ll see styled by Abercrombie include Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers, Drake Maye of the New England Patriots, and Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys. The partnership signals the NFL’s desire to part of the cultural conversation around fashion. And as we’ve seen with the NBA and even moreso with the WNBA, intertwining style and sports can draw more attention to the league and bring in new fans. But it’s also an opportunity for the mall-famous American brand Abercrombie to appeal to male consumers and insert itself among the more fashion-forward labels NFL players have started to wear as in their tunnel walks, like Prada and Rick Owens. [Photo: Abercrombie & Fitch] Dressing The Fandom When Taylor Swift starting dating Travis Kelce in the summer of 2023, the world tuned in to see what she would wear to his games. It was clear she put thought into her looks, picking outfits emblazoned with the Kansas City Chiefs’ logos and colors. She wore an oversized Chiefs jersey as a dress, paired with thigh-high Giuseppe Zanotti boots, or a custom puffer jacket emblazoned with Kelce’s number, 87. For the NFL, Swift’s sudden appearance at games was an unexpected boon. With the exception of players like the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the New York Giants’ Tyrod Taylor making waves with their pregame ‘fits, and Kelce’s paparazzi-strewn dates with Swift, NFL isn’t viewed as stylish brand. And so for the last five years, the league has been making a deliberate effort to make itself more stylish says Tracie Rodburg, the NFL’s SVP of global partnerships. It has brought on stylists to dress players, and last year, it even named its first-ever “fashion editor,” Kyle Smith, who is tasked with cultivating looks for stars when they are off the field. [Photo: Abercrombie & Fitch] But with Swift, the focus was also on what fans wear on game day. Today, the NFL says that women constitute 47% of its audience. And these female fans are often more style conscious than their male counterparts. They’re trying to put together looks that look cute, but also reveal their support for their team. “Fashion is an important part of the football experience, for fans,” says Rodburg. Abercrombie, which generated $4.85 billion in revenue last year, has seen firsthand how profitable it can be to create fashion-forward outfits for NFL fans. The brand skews female, and it was eager to attract more male consumers. So, in 2022, it decided to launch a small menswear collection of licensed NFL products, emblazoned with the logos of just a few teams. “When we’re thinking about how our customer spends their time, the NFL owns a big part of the weekend,” says Carey Krug, Abercrombie’s CMO. [Photo: Abercrombie & Fitch] (The bar for licensing product is much lower than an official partnership; it simply involves paying the NFL royalties for products made with team logos. And these royalties contribute to the NFL’s revenues, which hit a record $13.8 billion during the last fiscal year.) Abercrombie’s designers didn’t just slap logos on T-shirts. They thoughtfully incorporated vintage logos on trendy pieces, like cardigans and V-neck sweaters. The products sold out within weeks. So Abercrombie quickly expanded to creating products for women, kids, and even pets, featuring all 32 NFL teams. Fran Horowitz, Abercrombie’s CEO, said it became clear that the brand had the opportunity to serve women, who are often an afterthought when it comes to NFL merchandise. Now, you can find team logos on some of the brand’s most popular womenswear pieces, like its best-selling bra-free cami and its slightly cropped T-shirts. “We’re uniquely positioned to provide them with more options to represent their team beyond just game day,” she says. [Photo: Abercrombie & Fitch] Making The Partnership Official The popularity of Abercrombie’s NFL line was a signal to both organizations that it was worth partnering. Now Abercrombie is one of roughly 40 official NFL sponsors, that range from Verizon, which has the exclusive rights to mobile live streaming of games, and Applebee’s, a restaurant where many fans watch games. Official sponsors pay royalties to the NFL, but they also stand to benefit financially. Nielsen’s data suggests that fans exposed to NFL sponsors show a 10% increase in purchase intent. Another study, by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment found that 59% of avid NFL fans are more likely to try a sponsor product. This partnership is an opportunity to redefine the culture around the NFL fandom beyond the stereotype of shirtless fans in stands covered in body paint. And it will go far beyond just NFL-branded clothing. “In some of the campaign imagery to launch this partnership, there are players dressed in outfits that don’t feature NFL logos at all,” says Krug. [Photo: Abercrombie & Fitch] To this end, Abercrombie’s Style Concierge is an effort to help elevate players’ style. Players can request these styling services, which will give them access to an on-call Abercrombie stylist, as well as lots of free clothing to wear in tunnels and in other off-field appearances. In return, they may appear in Abercrombie’s marketing campaigns and social media. The brand says that there are many players already on the Style Concierge roster for the season, including Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions, and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys. Players styled by Abercrombie will be heavily featured in marketing and social media. If the debut campaign is any indication of what’s to come, this partnership is male-coded. The first images feature players, largely unsmiling, in a wood-paneled bar. They’re wearing jeans or joggers paired with shiny bomber jackets or hoodies. The aesthetic may not appeal to women, who make up the majority of Abercrombie’s customer base and seems like a missed opportunity to reach female fans. More broadly, Abercrombie’s close relationship with the NFL may alienate consumers who don’t see themselves as sports fans. For Abercrombie, there’s no Super Bowl ring in its future, but the NFL offers an opportunity promote itself as an omnipresent brand on game days, along with a trendsetter seen alongside much higher-end, fashion-forward brands like Kith and Fear of God worn by NFL superstars. Abercrombie has evolved over the past five years, shedding its image as the sexualized, exclusionary teen brand of the ’90s. Instead, it now caters to twenty-somethings, creating basics they can wear to the office and the weekend. While this has been a successful formula for the retailer, Abercrombie hasn’t stood out for being particularly cutting-edge. But this could change. “Athletes are some of the most important style influencers to our male consumer,” says Krug. “So it’s an incredible opportunity to put them in our clothes.”
Category:
E-Commerce
I had just landed my first real (non-HR) job at an international company, fresh out of university, full of ambition, and eager to prove myself. I loved the work, worked hard, stayed late, and genuinely believed I was making my mark. So when I was called into a meeting with HR one sunny Wednesday morning, I came in smiling, half-expecting praise. Surely, my efforts had been noticed. Maybe even a promotion was coming. I walked into a glass-walled meeting room to find Susan from HR sitting alone, visibly uncomfortable behind her laptop. After a few awkward pleasantries, she launched into a stream of corporate jargon about shifting priorities and evolving strategies. I nodded along, trying to connect the dots. Then it hit me. Susan . . . are you firing me? She nodded and hurriedly mumbled something about exit services. It wasnt just the layoffit was the series of faux pas that came with it. No manager present. No warning. No privacy. Just a rehearsed speech, a bad PowerPoint, and zero empathy. At the time, I didnt know better. But years later, working in HR myself, I looked back and saw it clearly: a masterclass in how not to handle people. Why are we so bad at layoffs? You could argue that this was two decades ago, and things must have improved since then. But have they? Consider the CEO of Better.com firing 900 employees (almost 15% of the workforce) over Zoom in 2021. Or Tesla’s 2024 mass layoffs, announced via a Sunday-night email revoking system access immediately. For all our talk about employee experience, empathy, and psychological safety, we still fail the most basic test: treating people like people. We know that business change is inevitable. Strategies must evolve. Restructuring is often necessary. Agility is a business imperative. But if layoffs are going to happen, and they will, there are better ways to handle them. More human ways. Heres how: 1. Minimize Uncertainty Employees dont need perfect certainty. They need honest, consistent communication. No one can work efficiently in the dark, and uncertainty breeds anxiety, rumors, and disengagement. One former colleague described his layoff experience as well-executed, empathetic, and matter-of fact. Why? Because employees were kept in the loop. The level of uncertainty was reduced right from the start. No surprises. No corridor gossip. Just timely, transparent updates from leadership and direct managers. 2. Communicate, Again, and Again In too many companies, strategic changes are discussed only at the top, never cascading down. This leads to confused employees who feel blindsided when change hits. A 2024 survey by PwC found that over half of employees feel theres too much change at work happening at once, and 44% dont understand why change is happening at all. Explain the why. Share the rationale. Communicate clearly, regularly, and with authenticity. A well-executed change management plan is key for an organization in transformation. Transparency, even when it means delivering bad news, is better than silence. Trust is built not by pretending everything is fine, but by communicating honestly and early. 3. Make Managers Accountable It often seems that HR gets blamed for delivering bad news. But layoffs are business decisions, not HR ones. So, where are the managers? Managers should be active participants in staffing decisions and responsible for how they are communicated. They know their teams best. They should be trained and empowered to lead through these moments, not hide behind HR. 4. Invest in Skills, Even During Uncertainty Ironically, companies tend to cut learning and development budgets when they need them most: during transformations. But investing in employee development during times of change builds trust and signals long-term commitment. Even if roles change (or disappear), the skills remain. Todays workforce is eager to grow. PwCs survey shows that workers want to upskill, and many are open to using tools like generative AI to work smarter. Companies should meet them halfway, with upskilling, internal talent marketplaces, and support for career mobility. 5. Address Employee Stress Proactively Restructuring and transformation efforts create emotional fallout. Left unaddressed, this stress turns into burnout, turnover, and long-term reputational damage. Leaders must create safe spaces where employees can speak openly without fear of negative consequences. Listening and feedback loops must be real. At Netflix, for example, a People over Process culture means daily, constructive feedback is encouraged and acted on. That only works when leadership is visible, responsive, and truly engaged. 6. Build Resilience Resilience isnt about powering through, its about giving people tools to adapt. That means helping managers lead through change and equipping teams with emotional agility, psychological safety, and the ability to thrive in ambiguity. 7. Support the Survivors, Too Layoffs dont end with the people who are let go. The employees who remain are left navigating a mix of relief, guilt, and fear. And they keep on wondering, Am I next? Whats really going on? Can I trust anything I hear? Typically, what is left behind is a stressed-out workforce, a collapsing sense of loyalty, and a culture of fear. To avoid this, companies must address the emotional toll on those who stay. Leaders should overcommunicate, set expectations clearly, and offer both honesty and reassurance. Let people know theres a plan and where they fit into it. In a world where constant change is the norm, how we change matters just as much as why we change. The goal should not be just speed. Agility without empathy is chaos. But when done right, paced, thoughtful, and human centered, it can actually build trust, not destroy it. There are more compassionate ways to run a business. We just have to choose them.
Category:
E-Commerce
The most successful leaders arent necessarily the loudest, the most visionary, or the ones with all the answers. Instead, they know what drives their actions and what triggers their reactions. They understand themselves and can read what others need with precision. Furthermore, they dont treat each person the same way. Instead, they tailor their approach to meet the needs of each individual or situation. These leaders go beyond possessing highly developed emotional intelligence. They become their best selves and help others do the same. Their skill is based on harnessing personality to promote personal and organizational success. But before we explore the power of personality intelligence, lets introduce the four styles every leader needs to understand. The Styles We will use birds as a simple way to help explain, remember, and apply the four styles. Eagles are confident, direct, and results-focused. Parrots are social, optimistic, and energizing. Doves are supportive, empathetic, and harmonious. Owls are logical, questioning, and precise. We all possess a mix of styles, but one or two typically stand out. Once you recognize these styles, you’ll start noticing them everywhere, from emails and meetings to how you lead with others. What Is Personality Intelligence? Think of personality intelligence (PIQ) as the development of self-awareness. Its not just knowing yourself. Its understanding how your natural style appears, interacts with others, and contributes to your success. Unlike emotional intelligence, which focuses on reading and managing emotions, personality intelligence shows how people with your style think, decide, communicate, and act. Your style forms a pattern of behavior, and that pattern affects the quality of your relationships and the results you achieve. Four Stages of Personality Intelligence Effective leaders progress through various stages on their journey to excellence. Understanding where you are today guides you in choosing what to focus on next. Level 1: The Unevolved StateThis is the starting point. At this stage, people react on autopilot, driven by their default style rather than the needs of the moment. Eagles charge ahead, but may bulldoze others in the name of efficiency. Parrots chase every new idea and can easily get off track. Doves seek harmony, but their desire to avoid conflict can prevent them from having difficult and crucial conversations. Owls focus on quality, but may get stuck in analysis paralysis and miss the moment to act. In this level, the style is in control, but its working against them, not for them. Level 2: The Typical StateThis is where most people live. At this stage in a leaders development, they understand their style and concentrate on their strengths. They are no longer on full autopilot, but pressure can still trip them up. At their best, eagles lead confidently. Parrots energize the team. Doves are nurturing, and Owls are meticulous. However, under stress, they revert to the Unevolved State of Level 1 where their strengths work against them. Level 3: The Master StateAt this stage, leaders master their style. They do so by balancing their strengths with traits opposite of their natural tendencies. Eagles temper confidence with humility. Parrots couple optimism with discernment. Doves pair kindness with candor. Owls blend logic with a dash of spontaneity. In the Master State, a leaders style becomes their professional superpower. They bring their best to every encounter and make the people around them better. Level 4: The Chameleon StateFew reach this level, but when they do, it becomes a game changer. At this stage, leaders dont just master their own style; they master all of them. When they need to rally the team, they energize their inner parrot. The eagle takes over when facing a tight deadline. The owl tunes in when tasks require precision. And when the moment calls for empathy, the dove is ready. And when they adapt, they do so with authenticity that fits the moment or the individual. This is the art of leading with personality intelligence. Why This Matters Now In todays world of hybrid workplaces, a multi-generational workforce, and rapidly changing technology, personality intelligence is more essential than ever. When leaders have highly developed personality intelligence, they can effectively lead anyone in any environment. If you want to retain your people, you need to know how to lead all of them, not just those who are similar to you. Leaders with strong personality intelligence dont just create an environment where they will succeed; they create one where everyone can thrive. They foster a fast-paced, goal-oriented space for eagles, an engaging and exciting culture for parrots, a supportive and helpful environment for doves, and a process-driven, quality-focused world for owls. Weve all heard it: People dont quit their company; they quit their boss. Lets flip that and say, people stay because of their boss. If youve ever reported to a self-aware leader who respects the style of their direct reports, Id bet you would have followed that leader anywhere. Thats the power of personality intelligence in action. Five Ways to Boost Your Personality Intelligence Heres your starting point for leveling up your leadership. 1. Own your styleDont just take a personality test and move on. Learn how your style influences your success, how you interact with others, and how you handle stress. Ask your team how they experience you when you’re at your bestand when you’re not. 2. Get fluent in all four stylesTrain yourself to recognize the styles in action. Does someone need time to reflect before making a decision? Youre likely dealing with an owl. Do they prioritize harmony within the team? You probably have a dove. Are they quick, confident, and competitive? Thats the eagle. Do they use stories, an excessive amount of exclamation points, and anecdotes in every staff meeting? Youre working with a parrot. 3. Practice conscious adaptationStyle-flexing isnt about being inauthentic. Its about choosing to speak someones language and meet them where they are. If youre an eagle presenting to owls, bring data. If you’re a parrot leading doves, slow down and check in. The more you adapt, the stronger the connection. 4. Build style-diverse teamsGreat teams aret made of clones of the leader. They are well-rounded, and their diverse styles create a balanced team. 5. Model personality intelligenceDiscuss the styles openly. Share what youre working on. When leaders demonstrate their personality intelligence, others follow. It creates a tone of trust, respect, and growth. The Bottom Line Personality intelligence gives leaders the edge they didnt realize they were missing. It boosts self-awareness and provides the tools to bring out the best in everyone they lead. It shifts communication from reactive to intentional, turns conflict into collaboration, and creates an environment where anyone, regardless of their style, can thrive. In a world where people are the true competitive advantage, personality intelligence is essential for leaders.
Category:
E-Commerce
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