When Leaders Choose to Be Learners
I wish I could have wrote a little sooner, but I’ve been a little busy! For the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of leading the Lumio rebrand — a project that stretched across marketing, product, IT, legal, finance, and growth teams. It wasn’t just a brand change; it was a company-wide transformation.
When I look back, what stands out isn’t the new logo or website (though I’m proud of those too). What I’ll always remember is how the team came together. Because in projects like this, it’s never really about the brand assets — it’s always about the people.
There were late nights, unexpected curveballs, and moments where it felt like the launch date was racing toward us faster than we were ready for. And yet, the team showed up. They trusted each other. They trusted me to steer the ship. That’s the real story of a rebrand.
Here are three lessons I’ll carry with me from this experience:
1. Alignment is Everything
When you’re pulling in stakeholders from every corner of the business, it’s easy for priorities to drift. What worked came back to one simple question: How will this serve our customers? Keeping that as our north star made it easier to unite the team.
2. Steady Wins the Race
There were fire drills along the way. My biggest job was to stay calm. People take their cues from leadership — and when you stay steady, it gives everyone else the confidence to do the same.
3. Guidance Beats Directives
I learned quickly that guiding people through a rebrand is different from telling them what to do. It’s about being curious, listening, clarifying, and giving them just enough structure so they feel both supported and empowered.
This project was a milestone for me in building my independent brand. It reminded me that leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room — it’s about creating space for others to do their best work.
The Lumio rebrand will always hold a special place in my story. And while I’m proud of the result, what I’m most grateful for is the team that made it possible.
Curious — what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from navigating a major change? Drop your thoughts in the comments!