Skip to main content
  • SHRM
  • Foundation
  • CEO Circle
  • SHRM Business
  • Linkage Logo
  • Store
  • Sign In
  • Account
    • Account
    • Logout
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
Executive network
About
Apply Now
  • Membership
  • News & Insights
    News & Insights

    Christine Mixan
    People + Strategy Podcast

    The People + Strategy podcast features thought leaders in HR and insights from the world of work.

    • People + Strategy Journal

      People + Strategy is a quarterly journal that delivers the most current theory, research, and practice in strategic human resource management.

    • Research

      Unlock data, research, and expert thought leadership, accelerating your organization’s growth and success.

    • News

      Members of the SHRM Executive Network enjoy access to expert analysis of data from SHRM Research, commentary on current trends, and insights from recent EN events.

  • Networking & Events
    Networking & Events

    Executive Network Experience at SHRM25
    Executive Network Experience at SHRM25

    This private convening is designed to meet your professional business needs as an HR leader.

    • Visionaries Summit

      When you attend the two-day Visionaries Summit, you’ll leave with data-backed ideas and action plans to implement right away.

    • EN:Insights Forum

      The EN:Insights Forums bring together like-minded leaders to explore the latest research on the business strategies and trends that are driving innovation and organizational success.

    • EN:Assembly

      Your trusted circle of HR peers for thought leadership, collaboration, and support.

Close
  • Membership
  • News & Insights
    back
    News & Insights
    Christine Mixan
    People + Strategy Podcast

    The People + Strategy podcast features thought leaders in HR and insights from the world of work.

    • People + Strategy Journal

      People + Strategy is a quarterly journal that delivers the most current theory, research, and practice in strategic human resource management.

    • Research

      Unlock data, research, and expert thought leadership, accelerating your organization’s growth and success.

    • News

      Members of the SHRM Executive Network enjoy access to expert analysis of data from SHRM Research, commentary on current trends, and insights from recent EN events.

  • Networking & Events
    back
    Networking & Events
    Executive Network Experience at SHRM25
    Executive Network Experience at SHRM25

    This private convening is designed to meet your professional business needs as an HR leader.

    • Visionaries Summit

      When you attend the two-day Visionaries Summit, you’ll leave with data-backed ideas and action plans to implement right away.

    • EN:Insights Forum

      The EN:Insights Forums bring together like-minded leaders to explore the latest research on the business strategies and trends that are driving innovation and organizational success.

    • EN:Assembly

      Your trusted circle of HR peers for thought leadership, collaboration, and support.

About
Apply Now
  • Store
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
  • SHRM
  • Foundation
  • CEO Circle
  • SHRM Business
  • Linkage Logo
Executive network
Sign In
  • Account
    • Account
    • Logout
Close

  1. Executive News & Insights
  2. People + Strategy Journal
  3. Writing Her Own Transformational Playbook
Share
  • Linked In
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus convallis sem tellus, vitae egestas felis vestibule ut.


Error message details.

Copy button
Reuse Permissions

Request permission to republish or redistribute SHRM content and materials.


Learn More

Writing Her Own Transformational Playbook

IN FIRST PERSON: A conversation with Fran Horowitz, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., on her leadership, management and hiring philosophies.

February 22, 2024

A woman with her arms crossed is smiling in a black and white photo.


Fran Horowitz is the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. She previously served as the company's chief merchandising officer and was the former brand president of Hollister. As part of People + Strategy articles editor Adam Bryant's "Art of Leading" series on LinkedIn, he sat down with Horowitz to discuss the lessons she has learned on leadership, management and hiring.

 

People + Strategy: What is your playbook for leadership?

Fran Horowitz: My leadership style started very early in my career and has been consistent through to today. It's about being a real person. It's about letting your ego go and being approachable, so that you can talk with anyone in the organization.

Once I was elevated to this position, I said to my head of HR and my team, "Do not ever let me be the empress who wears no clothes. I don't ever want to be told what you think I want to hear. Good, bad or ugly—please share it with me."


P+S: Where does your drive come from? These C-suite jobs carry a lot of responsibility and require a lot of stamina.

Horowitz: It's just born in you. For me, it's that simple. I don't go home at night saying, "Oh my gosh, the burden." I go home and I say, "That was a great day. I solved a problem. I enjoyed it. I helped some people. Associates are happy." It just is a part of your DNA. All that stuff started for me at a very young age, and it was very internal.


P+S: What is your playbook for driving transformation?

Horowitz: One thread throughout my entire career has been fixing businesses. I can look at a situation, step back, figure out where it needs to go, and push forward. Early in my career, I walked into a business that was spiraling and I was able to fix it.

The confidence from making those right moves builds over time. But there are always lessons on how to refine that approach. In my previous role, my playbook was too aggressive and too fast, and I probably lost people along the way because of it.

So when I came to Abercrombie, I did have to step away from the playbook and say, "How much can I get done, and how quickly?" So my approach is to go function-by-function. First, we had to focus on the product. Then we turned to marketing. We've gone through almost every function at this point and rebuilt each one of them.


P+S: When you step into a role like this, you have to assess the existing leadership team and decide who is going to stay or go. How do you do that?

Horowitz: I'm incredibly proud of the team that we've built because they are a blend of those who have been here for a while and those who have joined me after I stepped into this role. Those two things coming together make magic, because you have the appreciation for the history and the legacy, and you also get new thinking.

The key for me is that they have to be open-minded, and you can understand that about a person fairly quickly. You challenge them on a particular topic and see which way they go. If they continue to go in the same direction and they dig their heels in, you do have to step back and say, "You know what? Perhaps this next chapter isn't for you and it's time for us to move on."

I'm always looking for smart, curious and optimistic people, but they have to be flexible and agile. If they say, in effect, "The way we always did it is the right way to do it," you can figure that out pretty quickly.


P+S: What are the rules of the road that you set for your leadership team?

Horowitz: Number one, do not ever surprise me. I don't care how bad the news is. The sooner you tell me about it, the faster we can react to it. And once it's done, we're going to move on. Another big principle here is around influencing people rather than telling them what to do.

When I recruit people, I say to them, "You have to understand, people park their egos at the door. You may have heard that in other places. Here it really happens. Even though A, B and C don't report to you, you have to work together as a team. It doesn't matter here if you have a dotted line or if you have a straight line. It's about working together."   


P+S: Can you talk a bit more about how you hire?

Horowitz: The most important thing I look for in hiring is cultural fit. They could be the smartest person in the room. That doesn't matter if they do not fit in culturally. That means being humble, being open, being willing to listen to feedback. All those things make up an Abercrombie associate. And if you don't have those, you don't win.

So I'm looking for whether they are going to fit in, because others have figured out in earlier interviews whether the person has the skills to do the job. My focus is, what kind of person are they? What have they done? What do they like? What don't they like?

You try to understand them through asking a lot of questions and probing about their leadership, the successes they've had and the challenges they've faced.  


Business Acumen
Career Development
Employee Relations
HR Careers
Leadership & Navigation
Organizational & Employee Development
People Management

Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

​An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.



Related Content

Kelly Dobbs Bunting speaks onstage at SHRM24
(opens in a new tab)
News
Why AI+HI Is Essential to Compliance

HR must always include human intelligence and oversight of AI in decision-making in hiring and firing, a legal expert said at SHRM24. She added that HR can ensure compliance by meeting the strictest AI standards, which will be in Colorado’s upcoming AI law.

(opens in a new tab)
News
A 4-Day Workweek? AI-Fueled Efficiencies Could Make It Happen

The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.

(opens in a new tab)
News
How One Company Uses Digital Tools to Boost Employee Well-Being

Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees.

HR Daily Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest HR news, trends, and expert advice each business day.

Success title

Success caption

Manage Subscriptions
  • About SHRM
  • Careers at SHRM
  • Press Room
  • Contact SHRM
  • Book a SHRM Executive Speaker
  • Advertise with Us
  • Partner with Us
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Post a Job
  • Find an HR Job
Follow Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • SHRM Newsletters
  • Ask An Advisor

© 2025 SHRM. All Rights Reserved

SHRM provides content as a service to its readers and members. It does not offer legal advice, and cannot guarantee the accuracy or suitability of its content for a particular purpose. Disclaimer


  1. Privacy Policy

  2. Terms of Use

  3. Accessibility

Join SHRM for Exclusive Access to Member Content

SHRM Members enjoy unlimited access to articles and exclusive member resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Limit Reached

Get unlimited access to articles and member-exclusive resources.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join to access unlimited articles and member-only resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join the Executive Network and enjoy unlimited content.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join and enjoy unlimited access to SHRM Executive Network Content.

Already a member?
Unlock Your Career with SHRM Membership

Please enjoy this free resource! Join SHRM for unlimited access to exclusive articles and tools.

Already a member?

Your membership is almost expired! Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew now

Your membership has expired. Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew Now

Your Executive Network membership is nearing its expiration. Renew now to maintain access.

Renew Now

Your membership has expired. Renew your Executive Network benefits today.

Renew Now