[Flash] When the CEO of Bloomingdale’s Mentored the CEO of Macy’s

As Tony Spring recalled on the How Leaders Learn podcast, he replied, “Why would I move? I have the best job.”

Then Mike countered, “You have the opportunity to do more in the organization. But you need to understand enterprise thinking, all the facets that ultimately drive our business and attract our customers.”

Mike’s mentoring nudged Tony out of his comfort zone.

• Tony moved from marketing to operations and ran Bloomingdale’s stores for three years.
• In 2008, he became President and COO of Bloomingdale’s.
• In 2014, he was promoted to Bloomingdale’s CEO when Mike retired.
• In 2024, Tony was promoted to CEO of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s parent company.

Tony reflected on Mike’s mentoring, “Mike Gould encouraged me to use my intellectual curiosity, to show my heart, to be present with my family. And he gave me the learnings that he had in his own life. He wanted to make sure that I benefited from those experiences.”

While Mike was not officially assigned to be Tony’s mentor, he saw potential in Tony, even more than Tony saw in himself.

As a leader, Mike was charged with succession, an exercise he approached not as a reaction to someone’s departure but as a runway for the future.

While most people zoom in, distracted by their daily challenges, Mike made it a priority to zoom out and ahead. 

Mike didn’t retire for another 10 years after the “Tony, I want you to move” conversation. He wasn’t scrambling to fill a headcount. He didn’t need Tony to move out of necessity. He wanted Tony to prepare to be part of the future.

But succession only works if people with potential believe in their potential. Mike used mentoring to fuel that belief.

He couldn’t wait for potential to emerge. He first had to notice people:

• Are they staying?
• Are they growing?
• Are they moving?
• Are they mentoring others?

But it wasn’t enough that Mike noticed Tony’s potential. Succession happened because Mike built the relationship that made that potential visible and actionable.

Succession isn’t simply about replacing the retired with the newly hired. It’s about growing people to not only carry the future but to believe in their potential to do so.

And just like that, mentoring becomes the linchpin in succession.

© 2026. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved.