I like keeping three things in mind when leading a team: step back, step in, or step up. Step back so your team to continuously improve, know when to step in if necessary to communicate goals and provide guidance, and be prepared to step up to get the job done.

I believe someone in a leadership role should have a good understanding of all the components that go into the process for their department and ideally the company itself. Like knowing all the ingredients to a recipe and the steps to take in the preparation process, I am very familiar with a marketing and brand departments various roles and needs because I was fortunate to be actively involved in building businesses from the ground up.

Product development, sales support, graphic design, full-scale marketing campaigns and everything in between — I have been the team leader and a team member and I understand all levels of a successful business strategy. This degree of experience and expertise provides perspective on capability and expectation and also enables me to be a valuable resource when necessary.