When a boss once told her, “You can’t have it all,” Michelle Mackin pushed back. “They felt like they couldn’t have a family and the career. I’m one of these women that said ‘I’m going to have it all.’”
In her roughly four decades in the retail industry, Mackin has served in pivotal merchandising roles at May Co. (later Macy’s), Famous Footwear and now DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, where she is senior vice president, general merchandise manager and head merchant.
But that pales in comparison to her successful home life. “My family is my biggest accomplishment in life. I have three amazing kids,” she said, adding that her focus on family gives her staff permission to do the same. “I think my team always trusts and respects me for that. I put that first. But it doesn’t mean I’m not also really good at what I do in my job.”
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And on the job, she’s often a mom-like figure to her team, doling out advice about career and life questions. “The one thing I say is always push yourself and go above and beyond, be noticed. It’s OK to say, ‘I can take on more, I can do more,’” said Mackin. “Be the one that they talk about when they’re talking about who’s next, because you stand out. And standing out means going above and beyond.”
That is especially crucial in the current business environment, where some formal equity and inclusion programs have been shelved, potentially stalling the advancement of female leaders. Mackin’s advice to women in the industry is to keep up the fight on an individual and collective basis. “Equality doesn’t happen passively,” she said. “It’s driven by persistence to keep pushing and pushing. I think the persistence of women and women supporting women [is important].”
In her own career journey, Mackin channeled that same resilience when she faced obstacles that could have held her back. “I had a leader who was a couple levels up, who didn’t know me and didn’t believe in me,” she recalled. “I’ve got a lot of energy and I come at you fast — and I’m very transparent and don’t always play the political game, so I wasn’t aligned with him. But rather than letting him define me, I used it as, ‘I’m going to show him and I’m going to prove him wrong,’ and it pushed me to achieve things I didn’t think were possible.”
As she looks to the next generation of retail leaders, Mackin is optimistic about their prospects, especially their ability to create the kind of work-life balance that was unheard of during her early career. One such emerging footwear exec is Mackin’s daughter, who works at Birkenstock after interning with Sam Edelman and Footwear Unlimited.
“I think my generation can learn a lot from [Gen Z],” said Mackin. “Success for them isn’t hours worked. Success for them is what they achieve. And the emphasis that they have on flexibility shows my generation that it can be done. You can have flexible work hours and be productive. Like I always say, ‘Happy people are productive people.’”
A version of this article appeared in the June 1 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On June 3, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation will honor these women at the annual live event in New York City.
