What Makes a Great Leader? Reflections from High Point Market and Beyond

Several years ago, during High Point Market, I had the distinct honor of sitting on stage with four incredibly bright and diverse women in the home furnishings industry. Each one was a force in her own right—bold, insightful, and refreshingly real. The conversation was filled with words of wisdom, and the energy in that room was unforgettable.

One question posed to our panel that still resonates deeply with me was this: What are the key elements to good leadership?

I remember wishing I had a pen and paper right there on stage—each woman’s answer was so thoughtful, funny, and heartfelt, filled with personal stories and lessons learned in the trenches of business and life.

It’s a question I get often, and while leadership is layered and dynamic, there are three core traits I’ve found to be the most transformative in my own journey:

1. Commit to Lifelong Learning

If you’ve ever stepped inside my office, you’ve probably noticed the bookshelves—they’re full. Same goes for my home. I read them, listen to them, underline, dog-ear, and annotate. Sometimes I’ll listen to an audiobook, love it, and immediately buy the hard copy just so I can write in the margins. I’ve even been known to download it on my iPad and order the physical version. I know… it’s a little extra, but I embrace it.

Whether it’s books, podcasts, masterclasses, seminars, or working with my business coach, I believe leadership begins with curiosity. It’s not about knowing everything; it’s about staying hungry to grow.

---

2. Lead with Vulnerability

I’ve been in plenty of rooms where leaders believed they needed to be the loudest voice or the smartest person at the table. But I’ve found just the opposite to be true. Vulnerability is not weakness—it’s courage. And it’s essential.

Years ago, a brilliant woman recruiting me to shift careers into graphic design and marketing shared her success secret: “I surround myself with people smarter than me.” That wisdom stayed with me. Less than two years later, I launched my own design business, and I’ve carried that philosophy ever since.

When leaders model vulnerability, it opens the door for trust, creativity, and real connection. One of my favorite frameworks, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, reinforces this. It says clearly: a leader must go first when it comes to vulnerability. If we’re unwilling to admit mistakes, ask for help, or own our flaws, how can we expect our team to?

I’ve learned to embrace failure as part of the process. I’ve owned decisions that didn’t go as planned, shared lessons from my less-than-stellar moments, and invited my team to do the same. We grow stronger because of it.

---

3. Communicate with Intention

You can’t lead others well if you don’t first understand yourself. That’s why we invest in tools like StrengthsFinder and 5 Voices at our firm. These frameworks help us understand how each person naturally communicates, where they thrive, and how they like to receive feedback or direction. Just like thumbprints, no two people are the same—and they shouldn’t be led the same way.

As a visionary, I tend to communicate in big ideas and future outcomes. My teammate Mary, on the other hand, is incredible at getting into the details and mapping out the steps to bring the vision to life. Early on, we found ourselves occasionally misaligned—not because we weren’t on the same page, but because we weren’t speaking the same language.

Now, we’ve learned to check ourselves mid-conversation. I’ll say, “I’m just speaking provisionally,” which means this is just a brainstorm, not a promise. She’ll say, “I know I’m getting in the weeds,” to signal she’s zooming in, not pushing back. That simple language shift has created clarity, saved us from miscommunication, and unlocked new levels of collaboration.

We also use a Communication Code to set expectations: are we sharing something to inform, brainstorm, decide, or take action? When everyone’s clear on the intention, it saves time, frustration, and confusion.

---

Leadership is an ever-evolving process, not a destination. These three traits—commitment to learning, vulnerability, and intentional communication—have shaped me more than any title or experience ever could. I’m grateful to the women at that High Point Market panel for reminding me just how important this conversation is.