MEET TISS
Early in my leadership journey, I believed that to be a strong leader, I needed to have all the answers. If someone brought me a problem, I solved it. If a team had a challenge, I stepped in. If there was ambiguity, I clarified it quickly. “Here’s what you should do…”
It was efficient. It was decisive. It worked. But something felt incomplete. My team was executing, not growing. They depended on me more, not less. I started to wonder if I was building capability or dependency.
My epiphany happened during a three-day Manager as Coach workshop early in my career, hosted by the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. One idea changed everything: curiosity develops people. Control limits them.
When I returned from that workshop, I intentionally changed my approach. Instead of saying “Here’s what you should do…”, I began asking better questions.
What do you think about…?
What options are you considering?
What outcome are you trying to create?
At first, it felt slower. Less efficient. More uncomfortable. Then everything changed. My team began embracing curiosity, taking ownership, bringing forward stronger ideas, and growing. They also became much more collaborative as a result of a genuine interest in understanding the challenges others faced.
And I grew too. I became more empathetic, a better listener, and a stronger partner to my team, peers, customers, and vendors. It even permeated my home life.
I was so inspired by the power of “manager as coach” that I pursued formal coaching education, attending the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara and receiving my coaching credential. I am an active member of the International Coaching Federation.
Over the course of my career, I’ve held management and leadership roles at Head Sports, Volant Skis, Benetton Sportsystem, Global Sports Inc, adidas Golf, Lifefactory, Ariat International, and Dansko LLC.
The shift that took place, first working with a coach and ultimately becoming a coach, defined the rest of my career.
Over the next 15+ years, I continued to lead business units and companies ranging from $25M to $1B in annual revenue, across performance, lifestyle, and enthusiast categories.
I have served as CEO in both growth and turnaround situations, rebuilt culture around clear values and standards, implemented reporting discipline, and achieved measurable financial results.
What truly set my leadership apart, and ultimately enabled me to step into the CEO role, was not just strategy or execution.
It was the value I placed on relationships, on developing people, and on fostering environments where excellence, curiosity, collaboration, and optimism could thrive.
And where the team had fun.
That belief is the foundation of Supporticulture.
READY TO START GROWING?
Reach out and let’s begin the conversation.