Amy LeBaron
VP, Operations | GIMME Beauty
Could you share your approach to mentorship, including any advice you have for aspiring executives?
My approach to mentorship starts with curiosity and listening. I believe effective mentorship begins by truly understanding the people you lead — not just their role or performance, but their goals, challenges, motivations and perspectives. I focus on asking thoughtful questions, listening carefully and creating an environment where team members feel heard and supported.
A key part of mentoring is ensuring I have a clear understanding of the team’s goals, objectives and pain points. By understanding both the business priorities and the individual challenges team members face, I can better align development opportunities with meaningful outcomes for both the employee and the organization. I also believe in involving mentees in strategic decision-making and helping them understand the rationale behind key decisions. Providing visibility into the “why” behind priorities, tradeoffs and leadership choices helps team members build critical thinking skills, business acumen and confidence. Mentorship should prepare people not only to execute work, but to think strategically and grow into future leaders.
Another important aspect of my approach is identifying growth opportunities that are tailored to each individual. I look for projects, stretch assignments and experiences that align with specific areas where someone wants or needs to improve. Development is most impactful when it is intentional, practical and connected to real opportunities for growth.
Most importantly, I believe you cannot truly mentor someone you do not know on a personal level. I make an effort to get to know my team members beyond work — their families, interests, passions and what matters to them outside of the workplace. Building genuine relationships creates trust, strengthens communication and allows mentorship to be more authentic and meaningful. When people feel valued as individuals, they are more engaged, more confident and more willing to grow.
What does success look like to you?
Success, to me, is never an individual achievement — it is something accomplished as part of a strong, collaborative team. The most meaningful successes come from bringing together talented people with different perspectives, aligning around a shared vision and working collectively toward ambitious goals. I believe in setting extremely lofty goals that challenge teams to think beyond conventional solutions. Achieving those goals requires creativity, resilience and a willingness to approach problems from multiple angles.
Creative problem-solving and collaboration are at the center of how I define success because the best outcomes are often the result of teams learning from one another, adapting quickly and finding innovative ways to overcome obstacles together. Success also requires balancing long-term vision with adaptability. I value developing strategic roadmaps that provide clear direction while still allowing the flexibility to pivot when unexpected challenges or opportunities arise. In fast-moving environments, the ability to adjust without losing sight of the broader objective is critical. A successful team is one that can remain focused, agile and aligned even through uncertainty. Ultimately, success is most rewarding when the entire team succeeds together.
Reaching a goal matters, but what matters even more is the collective growth that happens along the way: the lessons learned, the relationships built, the skills developed and the confidence gained through overcoming challenges as a group. For me, true success is measured not only by outcomes, but by how the team evolves, supports one another, and becomes stronger through the journey together.
What leadership philosophy guides your strategic vision and decision-making?
My leadership philosophy is grounded in servant leadership. I believe the role of a leader is to support, empower and remove obstacles for their team so they can succeed both individually and collectively. Strong leadership starts with listening, understanding what the team needs and creating an environment where people feel valued, engaged and equipped to do their best work.
One example that reflects this philosophy was during a period of record growth last year when our logistics team was struggling to keep up with demand. Rather than making assumptions from the top down, our leadership team spent several days working directly with the logistics organization to understand their requirements for a new Warehouse Management System (WMS). We also took the logistics leadership team to a DHL distribution center in Memphis so they could see firsthand what a world-class operation looks like and help shape a vision for where we wanted to go. By involving the team early in the process, we were able to identify the tools and capabilities they truly needed. Based on their input, we sourced and implemented a WMS solution that not only improved operational efficiency, but also enhanced the overall employee experience by making their jobs easier and more satisfying. That experience reinforced my belief that the people closest to the work often have the clearest understanding of what is needed to succeed.
Once a strategic direction is established, I believe it is critical to involve the team in determining what will be required to achieve it. Teams are far more engaged and accountable when they have ownership in both the process and the outcome. That is why I believe strongly in creating balanced scorecards that the team owns and manages. These scorecards provide visibility into progress toward goals while also creating transparency around obstacles, risks and areas where additional support may be needed.
Equally important is fostering a culture where feedback and ideas are encouraged. Listening to team members’ suggestions and empowering them to make meaningful changes creates stronger outcomes and a more motivated organization. In my experience, the most successful teams are those where people feel heard, trusted and empowered to contribute beyond their immediate responsibilities. When leaders create that kind of environment, teams don’t just perform at a high level — they grow, innovate and genuinely enjoy working together.
