Business Skills

I was recently invited, by the Retail Dietitian Business Alliance (RDBA), to speak at their annual Retail Dietitian Exchange. This is an annual event which brings together the membership of the RDBA to exchange “best practices” utilized among its registered dietitian membership in the grocery industry. The RDBA was founded by Phil Lempert, aka “The Supermarket Guru” seven years ago with the mission to “foster the continuing business education and career development of current and future retail dietitians.”

One of the biggest challenges for a retail dietitian is to successfully communicate how their role has a positive impact on the business. Although this may be difficult it is not impossible - if you understand your corporate retail goals and what metrics you should track to show alignment and value. For this reason, a personal profit and loss statement (P&L) can be used to account for how your individual efforts contribute to the department and your company during a certain period of time. Often referred to as a “financial report”, these statements convey the current financial impact of your work and can also help predict the future.

In your role as a retail dietitian, it is important to have an understanding of key retail finance terms so you can analyze corporate financial statements, know what the overall health of your company is and recognize where your retailer’s strengths and weaknesses are. This information can also help you identify the areas where your work provides value and assist you with defining meaningful measures of success. Let’s start with this basic finance terminology:

Emotional intelligence has become known for its correlation to success in work, to motivation and to personal well-being. In business, high-EQ people have become desirable to employers due to the various advantages they bring. For managers, emotional intelligence allows them to better understand and motivate their team. Here are some ways to increase your emotional intelligence:

As a retail dietitian, there are multiple benefits to paying attention to these headlines – you’ll see what your executives see and can provide your take on industry movements, you’re positioned to ask for new program funding based on marketing dollars being allocated to projects at other retailers, or you may be able to expand your program based on new roles at other retailers.

Self-reflection involves setting aside time to give serious thought to your goals, performance and overall state of mind. Studies show that self-reflection, in the form of meditation or otherwise, is a powerful method to reduce stress and enable individuals to make better business decisions. Here are some simple steps you can follow to help you reflect and advance self-development:

Many of the topics presented in May at the Retail Dietitian Exchange have relevancy for a broad audience within the profession, and RDBA is pleased to announce that two of the event sessions are now available on video. Descriptions of and access to the videos are provided here:

As retailer’s expand their grocerant options, dietitians are developing and taking on culinary roles at retail. This provides insight from a panel of retail RDs who are working on culinary initiatives.  Panelists include Ashley Martinez, MFN, RD, LD, Kroger Health, Jessica Seigel, MPH, RD, Gelson’s Markets, Shelbi Thurau, RD, Wakefern Food Corp, and Emily Parent, RD, LD, Coborn’s. Moderated by Phil Lempert.

Technology is impacting the retail industry in ways we never dreamed – from farm to form, it’s impacting the way shoppers are choosing their foods and retailers are communicating. This one-on-one discussion with Phil Lempert and Sylvain Perrier will explore real examples of how retailers are utilizing block chain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and the next evolution of e-commerce and delivery as well as their impacts and opportunities for retail dietitians.  

There may not be a hotter topic for retail dietitians than return on investment. Being able to calculate a positive ROI and presenting the findings to senior retail leadership are essential to show the value of RD services, gain approval for new programs, and support additional RD head count. Read on for tips for developing and communicating ROI here.