How Target’s people-first culture and leadership programs are driving success

When Target CEO Brian Cornell runs through the recent growth of his company, highlighting revenue, remodeling, new stores, new team members and the tripling of digital business, he notes that it didn’t happen in a boardroom.

Rather, he told attendees of NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show, it came down to investing in, listening to and developing great people, and creating a culture of care, growth and winning together.

The keynote session included not only Cornell and Michael Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work, but also Abubakarr Bangura, group vice president, Target Corporation. Bangura, as Bush put it, is a “living example” of everything Cornell speaks of; a native of Sierra Leone, he came to Target as an intern in 2004 and now oversees roughly 80 stores across multiple states.

“In retail, we have a chance to change lives,” Cornell said; one of his favorite things, he noted, is to see a team member grow and develop, moving up in responsibility and leadership.

Bangura pointed out that growth is not always a straight line. He has worked in different teams and different states with the company, “but one thing that has been consistently true has been Target’s culture.” It’s the reason he has stayed, he said: He’s been surrounded by the right teams and right mentors, including those willing to provide honest feedback.

Having the right leader matters, Bush said. At Target, surveys have shown that seven out of 10 people feel cared for as a person, not as an employee. “That comes from leaders,” Bush said.

The Target culture starts with a willingness to listen, Cornell said. “We spend a lot of time with our front-line teams, asking questions, listening to them, understanding their needs, how we can make the job more impactful for them, how we can grow their careers,” he said. “We spend a lot of time listening and learning. Our teams are kind of unlocking the door of what we need to do next.”

Target has a program called Prepare for Next, in fact, that ensures the development of the next generation of leaders. The goal is that they’re not just prepared for their current role, but also the future one.

By listening to its people, Bangura said, Target learned that store directors wanted a tailored developmental program — so the company co-created an immersive six-month program with store directors. It takes store directors out of the store to allow them to focus on learning leadership skillsets, collaborating with peers and solving problems in real time. “And, most importantly,” he said, “they can focus on their own personal development.” 

The program currently has about 1,000 participants, with plans to scale up to some 2,000 store directors. Of current participants, 100% said they feel they could grow their career with Target, and 92% feel their performance has improved since they entered the program, Bangura said.

“The reason why the program has been so successful and is working really well,” he said, “is because it’s co-created, by the store directors, for store directors.” Who better to know what needs to happen on the front lines?