Honoring Women on the Climb: Leadership Lessons From 3 Inspiring CEOs

Key Takeaways

• Build leaders, not just tasks.
• Diverse perspectives boost innovation.
• Core values guide sustainable growth.
• Succession planning enables scaling.
• Collaboration fuels faster growth.

Summary

International Women’s Day spotlights three Vistage CEOs—Deb Erickson, Lus Haberberger, and Violet Grgich—who illustrate how modern leadership evolves beyond personal effort. Erickson emphasizes delegating and developing internal leaders to sustain growth, Haberberger shows that diverse viewpoints drive stronger innovation, and Grgich demonstrates that a values‑first compass steers long‑term resilience. Their stories span sports apparel, engineering, and winemaking, yet converge on building teams, fostering inclusion, and anchoring decisions in core principles. The article argues that these practices are essential for any CEO navigating today’s volatile market.

Pulse Analysis

International Women’s Day provides a timely platform to examine how female CEOs are reshaping executive playbooks. Within the Vistage peer‑advisory network, Deb Erickson, Lus Haberberger and Violet Grgich have become case studies for a new kind of climb—one that values delegation, inclusive problem‑solving, and purpose‑driven decision‑making. Their industries differ dramatically, yet each has leveraged personal authenticity to attract talent, accelerate innovation, and protect brand heritage. By sharing their journeys publicly, they signal that gender diversity at the top can translate into measurable strategic advantage for any organization.

The first lesson—building leaders instead of doing everything yourself—addresses a classic scaling bottleneck. Erickson’s shift from hands‑on founder to talent architect mirrors research showing that companies with robust succession pipelines grow 30 % faster. Haberberger’s emphasis on diverse perspectives aligns with studies linking gender and cognitive diversity to a 19 % increase in revenue per employee. Meanwhile, Grgich’s values‑first compass illustrates how purpose can guide investments such as regenerative farming, which not only reduces carbon footprints but also meets rising consumer demand for sustainable products.

For CEOs beyond the featured trio, the takeaways are actionable. Start by mapping critical roles and assigning mentorship responsibilities to create internal leadership pipelines. Institutionalize cross‑functional forums where dissenting opinions are rewarded, turning potential conflict into creative fuel. Finally, codify core values into measurable metrics—whether through ESG reporting, employee engagement surveys, or product quality standards—to ensure they steer daily choices. As markets become more volatile and stakeholder expectations tighten, companies that embed these practices will likely outperform peers, reinforcing the strategic importance of inclusive, values‑driven leadership.