Bossing It: Standing Up for What’s Right with Krista Detwiler
Krista brings more than a decade of communications strategy experience with nonprofit, education, and direct-to-consumer brands. She has an innate curiosity and ability to distil complex concepts into a clear and compelling idea while digging into the deeper “why.” After six years in nonprofit marketing, Krista earned her MBA at Boise State University while serving as a business communications graduate assistant and working for a boutique active lifestyle PR agency that touted international clients like Black Crows Skis and Mons Royale. Most recently, Krista led brand and sustainability communications for Lovevery, an early childhood development ecommerce brand. Krista believes that all brands have a heartbeat, and her favourite part of her job is working with partners to uncover stories that inspire purpose — and results. She hates egos and eggs, in that order. And she might love her dog, Olive, more than her husband (we’d say don’t tell, but Anders knows).
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Krista> Throughout childhood and adolescence, I thought about leadership more within the bounds of your peers voting for you—leadership was something you had to officially put yourself into the ring for, and whether or not you could lead was dependent on popularity. Of course, that’s not the definition of leadership at all. My first sense of a great leader was for the first president of the US I was able to vote for at 18, Barack Obama. His platform of hope and optimism felt tangible and authentic—and therefore worthy of a vote and continued support for ideas that transcended his leadership.
LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?
Krista> After a series of difficult bosses, I definitely figured out what kind of leader I don’t want to be first. I saw a bit of it all—totally checked out to extreme workaholics to the verbally abusive types. What I took from those negative examples was that I’d always try to listen first, then react, give thoughtful feedback, and have a realistic expectation of how much we can all give to our day jobs. I’ve left jobs because I didn’t trust or believe in the leadership—haven’t we all? That awareness keeps me vigilant, and I don’t take my team’s trust for granted, ever.
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Krista> During my MBA education, I learned that I was both an open communicator and a challenger. I think my “challenger” style can be both an asset and detriment. I’ve also found that I only truly feel like a leader when my challenger strength is activated. It takes some time to build confidence to challenge something from a place of knowledge and understanding, and other leaders in the room have often overpowered my challenger instinct. I’d like to tap into this critical thinking skill more in the future.
LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?
Krista> I think so, yes. Most of all, I like having big strategic conversations and staying curious. Staying stagnant was never an option either. Those three forces together naturally drew me to leadership conversations and to take initiative. It sounds silly, but I think I realised I had it in me when I was student body president in high school and stood up to a high-powered parent in a Board meeting.
LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?
Krista> So much can be taught and learned…Much more than I ever thought. That said, I’ve seen many people display natural leadership tendencies, and I think that comes down to empathy, active listening, and being able to articulate and stand up for what’s right.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Krista> I am a realist, and positivity is one of my strengths. I assume positive intent—more of an innocent until proven guilty kind of approach. Maybe that stems from my own abhorrence of being micromanaged. That positivity can create some blind spots or some over-assumptions of skill. Sometimes I don’t say the most obvious thing out loud because I assume mutual understanding. I’ve learned to say the obvious things out loud more. And give feedback in real time whenever possible.
LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?
Krista> Of course. Whenever someone on my team fails, it’s hard to separate that from my own failure. However; I also need to let my team fail—ideally within a safe space, but sometimes it’s just a straight up f*** up. I’m an achiever, and I love results, so these failures always provide opportunity for growth and reflection for the whole team. I believe in admitting fault, apologising, and most importantly coming prepared with an action plan to move forward.
LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?
Krista> There’s an absolute balance here. Transparency is paramount to build trust with your team; however, not everything you feel should be said out loud. Overt candour in every situation can erode trust and a sense of safety. While I believe leading with your heart is important, it’s also not appropriate to wear your heart on your sleeve at every moment.
LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?
Krista> After losing my dad when I was 11, I’ve found that there have been a few men who have tried to fill that gap, for better or worse. I’m grateful for support, but ultimately, I’ve needed to find my own way. I’ve learned just as much from my peers and from the team that I manage as I have from my own managers and leaders. The best manager I’ve ever had was someone who I knew believed in my talents and had my back. She helped me stay focused on outcomes while also stretching my skill set — and she never pretended that she had it all figured out. She’s one of my closest friends today. Now that I’m in my mid thirties and may have some more wisdom to share, I look forward to more mentorship opportunities (both directions).
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Krista> Communication. Asking questions and asking how they’re feeling. Creating space for them to express themselves outside of the traditional bounds of a 1:1—I try to get us out of the office every once in a while or ask them to sum up their mood with an emoji or two in case that makes thorny conversations easier (I’ve found it has). Also, we’re working on doing a better job of laddering personal goals to company goals so we all have a sense of ownership and purpose in our day-to-day. Especially as a small company, it takes everyone’s commitment and focus.
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Krista> I love our diversity statement: “Our talent lies in our skills and capabilities, and also importantly in both our cognitive and overall diversity. The only archetype you’ll find at Stoltz is a caring and creative employee. Otherwise, no one Stoltz team member is the same: we represent a wide range of professional experiences as well as a wide range of lived experiences. We are a team of driven folks with diverse identities of various ages, abilities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, and class backgrounds — and we celebrate and find strength in our differences. Stoltz’ depth of understanding in the DE&I space, and our commitment to equality in the workplace, helps us bring a modern and inclusive perspective to our client work.”
Outside of that, we make an effort to expose ourselves to different perspectives, and our team has undergone an extensive code of ethics effort as well.
LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?
Krista> Our entire business philosophy is centred around the fact that people do business with people—so our people policies are a cut above our peers, at least in our Boise market. We have regular toast and boasts, end of week meetings, offsites, and impromptu happy hours to keep us all connected. Our official policies like parental and bereavement leave as well as our norms like “celebrate it all” and “R.E.S.P.E.C.F’ N T. ”also help us walk our talk.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Krista> Feedback, always. Research and reading—I read industry newsletters, including some with leadership perspectives and features, daily. And more formal leadership training has also been a real gift. If I’m alive, I want to be learning, and that certainly includes leadership skills.
