The Leadership Disconnect: Why Multi-Unit Leaders Are Ready For More Than Lip Service

In an era defined by disruption, the 2025 Torch Leadership Evolution Survey makes one thing clear: leaders are adapting, but they’re not adequately supported. With insights drawn from 568 leaders across 17 industries, including Retail, the data reveals a troubling gap between leadership expectations and the support leaders actually receive. The gap is widest for those navigating the front lines of constant change—leaders like district managers in retail.

Retail leadership today isn’t just about sales numbers and staffing. It’s about shaping culture, adapting to automation, guiding teams through uncertainty, and doing all of it with shrinking resources and rising expectations. Yet, many retail leaders are still being handed one-size-fits-all development and expected to thrive.

The Disconnect Is Real—and It’s Costing Us

According to Torch, 44.9% of all leaders cite ongoing change as their biggest challenge—and for those at the district and director level (the linchpin between corporate strategy and store-level execution), that number is even higher. These are the people responsible for translating vision into reality, but they often lack the authority, coaching, and support to do so effectively.

Meanwhile, senior leaders—many of whom are insulated from day-to-day disruptions—often assume the organization is more change-ready than it actually is. The result? A strategic disconnect that leaves mid-level leaders frustrated, burnt out, and questioning their future.

Sound familiar?

Retail district leaders are explorers and shapers—people who embrace change, drive innovation, and energize teams. But when leadership development is generic, reactive, or misaligned with frontline realities, these high-potential leaders struggle in silence or opt out entirely.

What Retail Leaders Are Telling Us (Loud and Clear)

The Torch report uncovered what retail leaders have been quietly saying for years:

• 28.3% of managers and directors want better ways to inspire and connect with their teams
• 29.9% crave time and space to reflect and refine how they lead
• 29.0% want personalized development that evolves with their role
• And 44.2% want the right mix of human insight and smart tools

Retail doesn’t lack potential—it lacks contextual support  that meets leaders where they are. That’s exactly what we’re building through The Empowered Retail Leader’s Blueprint  and our Founders Circle.

Your Next Chapter as an Empowered Retail Leader Starts Here

At the Retail Leaders Group, we’re not just discussing these insights—we’re building a movement around them.

Our mission is to amplify and equip the voices of multi-unit retail leaders through:

• Community-driven learning
• Peer collaboration and co-creation
• Tools and mindsets designed to help you lead with confidence, clarity, and purpose

The Empowered Retail Leader’s Blueprint is your free starting point—a practical resource built around what real leaders are asking for, not what outdated training models are offering.

What’s Next? You Are.

If you’re a retail leader who feels like you’re navigating constant change with outdated tools, know this:

You’re not alone.
You’re not underperforming.
You’re just underequipped for a new era that demands something better.

And better starts now.

👉 Get The Empowered Retail Leader’s Blueprint
👉 Apply to Join the Founders Circle

Help co-create the leadership support system retail has been missing.

📄 Disclaimer

This blog post shares commentary and opinion based on publicly available insights from Torch’s 2025 Leadership Survey. The full report remains the intellectual property of Torch and can be accessed here by request through their official website. This post is not affiliated with or endorsed by Torch.