Investing in Our People Visionary at Women Lead Change 2026
Visionary at Women Lead Change 2026Lead. Lift. Repeat.
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At Visionary, we invest in the people who make our work possible. Professional development is one of the perks of being on our team, and that means real opportunities to learn, connect and bring fresh ideas back to the office. This fall, we sent three team members to The Leadership Conference: 2026 Des Moines, hosted by Women Lead Change. Supporting local organizations like this is another way we invest in our Des Moines community.
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A Packed HouseOur team spent the day at the Iowa Events Center alongside leaders from across our community and came back with full notebooks and plenty to share. Here's what stuck with them, speaker by speaker. |
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Beth Shelton CEO, Girl Scouts of Iowa |
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Hard decisions aren't your fault, but they are your responsibility. So accept what is, then ask, "This being the case, how shall I proceed?" You have three paths:
Our takeaway Separate what you think from what you know, and pilot more ideas instead of filtering them out. For a web team, a quick prototype often answers a question faster than another meeting. |
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Lisa Bluder Former Head Coach, Iowa Hawkeyes Women's Basketball |
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Culture overshadows everything. Culture isn't a slogan or a seminar. It's built in small, everyday moments, and everyone contributes to it, not just leadership. Lisa urged leaders to state their values and keep them visible, because without them you have nothing to stand on in hard decisions. Recruit the right people, not just the most talented, and be upfront about expectations. The leaders she looks for:
Our takeaway Consistency creates confidence. Being consistent builds trust, and trust is what gives people grace when mistakes happen. Then climb, pause, and lift others with you. |
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Jason Sudeikis & Lisa Bluder Actor, Comedian & Screenwriter, in Conversation with Coach Bluder |
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You are who you are when the coach isn't in the room. For Alecia, that line was a reminder that character shows in the work you do when no one is checking. The pair also borrowed an idea from Brené Brown: give critics a seat at the table, not control of the room. When negativity comes your way, listen with empathy, read without judgment and don't comment back. And leave room for the unplanned, because over-control stifles creativity and growth. Our takeaway Critical feedback often holds a nugget of truth. Listening for what's useful instead of getting defensive leads to better work. |
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Shawn Johnson East & Andrew East Olympic Gold Medalist & Former NFL Player |
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Prioritize the things that bring you joy. Making room for the parts of life that energize you makes it easier to show up fully for everything else. Our takeaway Fail fantastically. A failed approach is feedback that moves the work forward, not a setback. |
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Julie Averill Chief Information Officer, lululemon |
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Who do you know that knows the answer more than you? Turn around and let them help. Our takeaway Ask yourself what you're trying to control today. The best answer is often one teammate away. |
Overheard at the Conference
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"Everyone matters." |
"Fail fantastically." |
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"Give critics a seat at the table, not control of the room." |
"Climb, pause, and lift others with you." |
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Added to the Visionary PlaybookFix the system before blaming the people Keep our values visible Pilot new ideas instead of shelving them Ask for help, and listen for what's useful in feedback Treat every failed approach as a step forward These ideas fit how we work with our clients and each other, whether we're planning a new website, troubleshooting a stubborn bug or trying out a new process. |
When we invest in our people, the whole team benefits, and so do the clients and community we serve. Thank you to Women Lead Change for a great day in Des Moines, and to Holly, Stacey and Alecia for bringing these lessons back to the team.
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Learn more about Women Lead Change
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