Welcome to the first edition of A Love Letter to Leadership, a series I’ve wanted to start for a while.
From being a leader myself to having the privilege of working with, coaching, and learning from so many brilliant leaders over the years, I know leadership can be lonely. It can feel heavy. And at times, it asks more of us than we knew we had.
So I wanted to create a space where we could give an honest take on leadership. Not the shiny version, but the honest, human one.
Each week, I’ll be inviting a different leader to share their “love letter” to leadership through a set of reflective questions. But to kick us off, I thought I’d go first.
Growing up, what single word best described your perception of leadership?
Ruthless. It’s the word that shaped my earliest ideas of leadership — that it was about toughness, command, and control. That to be a leader, you had to lose a part of your softness. I’ve since unlearned that idea, and I hope others do too.
What’s one belief about leadership that you’ve held onto, even when others didn’t?
That care and capability are not mutually exclusive.I’ve always believed that leaders can care deeply. They can be vulnerable, know their team beyond their job titles, and still deliver exceptional results. Empathy doesn’t dilute excellence. It fuels it.
Beyond skills, what mindset shift do you believe is crucial for aspiring leaders?
Moving from doing to enabling.
This is the hardest shift, especially for high achievers. When you’re used to defining success by what you deliver, letting go of that measure can feel disorienting. But leadership asks you to redefine success, not as your own productivity, but as your team’s growth, outcomes, and wellbeing. Your wins become theirs. And that’s a good thing.
If you could bottle one essential quality of great leadership, what would it be and why?
The ability to inspire belief and loyalty. The best leaders I’ve worked with and aspired to be like ignite something in people. They create belief in the vision, belief in the team, and belief in each individual. That belief becomes loyalty. And loyalty, when earned, is powerful.
What do you want your leadership legacy to be?
I want to be the reason someone thinks deeply about becoming a people manager. Not because I glamourised it, but because they learnt the good, the tough, and the surprising through me, helping them to make informed decisions about whether this path is for them. Because, we need to normalise every leadership path.
How would you describe leadership now?
It’s a privilege to lead. One that comes with weight. Leadership isn’t a badge. It’s a responsibility. It will stretch you, surprise you, and sometimes break your heart. You have to really want it. Because the ripple effect is huge and we need to protect that.
Thank you for reading.
Every week, we will spotlight people I admire deeply who lead with grit, grace, and great intention. Some of them are founders. Others are managers, creators, consultants, or coaches. But all of them have something to teach us about what it truly means to lead.
To the love story we’re all still writing.
With care,
Emma
August 14, 2025
