I recently went one-on-one with Leslie Marino, President of L’Oréal’s Professional Products Division.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Leslie: Since arriving to L’Oréal, it’s been a 35-year journey. Every position has been a stepping-stone as I’ve worked for a diverse array of leaders and brands. I’ve touched every beauty category – makeup, fragrance, haircare, hair color, nails, skincare, men’s products, and more. Diversity stretches you and fosters growth.
The most defining moments of my career were during our toughest business cycles. One specifically that stays with me is 2009, when the financial market crashed, and our brands felt the crisis. I was a new General Manager of fragrance at the time with a new boss, and I faced the biggest moment of truth – having to lead my team through difficult times and poor market conditions. We watched the numbers crash and were forced to rebuild from the bottom up. It was a tough challenge, but overall a real confidence builder and instrumental for my future.
Challenges push you, and in the most stressful of times, it’s how you show up as a leader that shapes your growth. During those hard times, you must show confidence and remain calm. Business is relentless, and experiencing those challenges builds up the confidence, which creates a level of calmness for you to fight through those tough times. In the moment, it’s terrifying, but when you look back, there’s always a learning and an “aha” moment from those experiences.
Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?
Leslie: I’ve always loved puzzles, so growing and scaling a business is a similar passion and skillset. I enjoy assessing our goals and vision, breaking the business down into small parts, then making clear choices on exactly which parts matter and connecting them to fit the larger picture.
I ask, what are the one or two things you can do to move the business forward? What is the hero strategy? Picking the products, merchandising online and offline, considering what exactly moves the needle forward for the business, and then doing that deeply and well. That’s the secret – figuring out which levers you can push in the most effective way.
For smaller businesses without infinite people and resources, it’s more important to focus on exactly what you can do well. In a large corporation like L’Oréal, we have remarkable resources, but it can create a hindrance since people try to do too much. Sometimes it’s hard to make choices, so we must be extremely disciplined to make decisions on which products or drivers to invest in, then pivot quickly if a decision does not work.
One of the healthiest businesses I’ve run in the past was within our men’s fragrance portfolio, Acqua di Gio with Giorgio Armani. We fully believed in it, putting all our resources behind it, and it boomed, becoming the largest men’s fragrance. In the Professional Products division, we created magic with Redken Shades EQ, which was a small demi-permanent color line. I quickly realized this was a special formula for hairdressers, so we made a clear choice and tipped the business in its favor. It’s now the #1 demi-permanent hair color in the US. Decision-making is powerful; when you are courageous enough to make a tough decision and it’s the right one, it only boosts confidence and creates greater self-belief.
Adam: What are the keys to building a successful brand?
Leslie: Listen to your consumer. Placing the customer at the center of all conversations is the only way to drive revenue and sustain growth in today’s crowded marketplace. Our teams spend hours meticulously researching to ensure we have the best market insights to understand what the consumer is looking for and how to continuously delight them. When taking on a new brand or responsibility, we need to understand the customer data to inform our strategy. Our goal is to be accessible wherever consumers choose to shop – whether it’s Amazon, Sephora, or Ulta. It’s essential to seamlessly connect with a diverse and expansive customer base through an omnichannel approach.
Right now, in the Professional Products division, we are winning in the market due largely to the strength of our premium brands and consumer connection. We produce four of the top 10 selling consumer brands in prestige. We build emotional connections between our brands, professionals, and consumers to meet the changing needs and desires.
As an industry leader, we have a responsibility to be a catalyst for change, so we remain heavily focused on identifying new trends, creating professional opportunities that benefit all communities, and helping pioneer the next generation of talent.
Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales and marketing?
Leslie: You must influence people. If you have a great idea, but you can’t bring your customer on the journey or encourage stakeholders to invest, then you’re never going to succeed. To me, everyone is in sales or marketing. Everyone behind the business must be motivated around the strategy and vision. That’s applicable in sales, marketing or any role. We all should be working to excite customers about our brands, no matter what role you hold.
Personally, I love to sell beauty products everywhere I go! I love convincing people to try a product they inevitably say they just can’t live without it. In order to launch a product, you need stakeholders to see and believe in your vision, so to me, everyone must be selling in some way.
Beauty is transformational and emotional. It’s something personal. If you can tap into that special feeling, your products will sell.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?
Leslie: Giving feedback in the moment. Finding opportunities to give real-time feedback is so impactful instead of waiting for a review time. It’s best delivered in a way that feels like it’s coaching, which takes the sting out of it. When leaders are celebrating wins and giving feedback in the moment, it becomes natural and feels great, and in turn, your employees will be fully invested in development too. People often miss the easiest opportunities to celebrate others’ success publicly, so I encourage my leaders to take a moment and, in front of teams, give a fun shoutout of recognition to someone. It’s such an easy win and feels good.
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?
Leslie: My leadership style is natural and approachable, which tends to expose vulnerability and humanity. Generally, people connect with a leader who’s open and accepting. The next generation also gravitates towards a less formal approach, so I’m usually a match for those younger cohorts looking for guidance and mentorship.
An effective leader also has to be honest. I don’t have all the answers, and voicing that reminder to my teams often puts them at ease. It creates an understanding that everyone is relied upon, so we all must show up strong and contribute.
Sharing with your team is important and powerful, especially when you have not made the right decision or direction. Being open with your employees about a choice that didn’t turn out well can be a learning moment for everyone. The burden doesn’t always sit on a leader. Instead, sharing mistakes signals to your team that it’s okay to take risks and be honest with outcomes.
Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Leslie: Whether a seasoned or aspiring leader, I recommend a combination of self-awareness and continuous learning. This includes making time for self-reflection, drawing inspiration from others, and putting those observations and insights into action. Also, lead by example – empower others by demonstrating trust in your team and model the leadership values you want to see in them.
My mentors exemplified how to successfully navigate a long-term career that requires a skilled understanding of the business and broader company landscape. I was inspired to follow in their footsteps and offer myself as a source to others and pay it forward, to continue building the path blazed for women in our company. Today, I treasure those personal exchanges and moments of truth with other women and hope to inspire the career trajectory of the next generation of leaders.
If not for mentorship, I would not be in my position today. So, I strongly encourage investing in a mentor to lean on and give you tough love.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Leslie: Doing anything bold in life requires courage – sometimes you must put it all on the line. You tend to know when it’s right, so trust your instincts and take risks!
Being bold and courageous is truly showing leadership, and if you make a mistake, sit with that uneasy feeling until you feel comfortable acknowledging that you took a risk and can learn from it. You can’t be successful if you always play it safe.
Everyone needs to ask for help at some point! Receiving advice and mentoring in areas you may not have expertise in goes a long way, so don’t be shy to ask for help.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Leslie: “It’s a game of inches.” Sometimes people get overwhelmed with a huge goal, but just break it down into smaller pieces and keep moving the needle, inch by inch, towards that big goal. I like to tell managers you just need to grow 10% at a time to keep moving the business forward. Don’t get lost in overachieving or overreaching; remember it’s a puzzle, sometimes you must break it down first in order to scale for the long term.
