Coastal Contacts CEO engages employees to support new business plan

Thanks to an open discussion of strategy and CEO face-time, employees support a huge change fast

It wasn’t too long ago when any employee who dared enter the Coastal Contacts offices wearing eyeglasses was immediately, if jokingly, chastised.

“Our goal was to sell contact lenses and products related to contact lenses, which was the mind-set our staff was in. Contacts, contacts, contacts!” says Jenny Harvey, communications manager for the Vancouver, Canada-based online retailer. “We would playfully harass anyone in the office wearing eyeglasses as they were—in our mind-set—not representing the company and what we sell.”

A few months ago, however, the company launched an eyeglasses program and began selling prescription glasses to existing customers as well as to a wider customer base.

“When our staff first heard that we had decided to go into the eyeglasses, there was a little confusion over this new mind-set,” Harvey says.