When you spend hours working with your hands, whether knitting, Tunisian crocheting, or designing jewelry, you begin to notice that the work itself becomes a teacher, these crafts have reminded me of some of the most profound lessons I carry into my leadership practice.

1. In the imperfection is the perfection. Nothing handmade will ever be flawless. That uneven stitch, that slightly off-center stone—these are not failures; they are the markers of authenticity. In leadership, the same holds true: perfection is not the goal. Authenticity is. People don’t follow you because you’re perfect; they follow you because you’re real.

2. You can restart again and again, but eventually you must keep going. With every new project, the temptation to unravel and start over is strong. But at some point, you realize: there will always be mistakes. Leadership is no different. We can overthink, rewrite strategies, and hesitate to launch, but momentum comes from moving forward—flaws and all.

3. Mistakes are doorways, not dead ends. In craft, a mistake often forces you to learn something new—or even discover that the “wrong” way is more beautiful than the original pattern. In leadership, missteps can uncover innovation, resilience, and unexpected opportunity. The best leaders don’t hide mistakes; they turn them into breakthroughs.

4. Freedom lives on the other side of imperfection. When you stop chasing flawlessness, you gain freedom: freedom to explore, to experiment, to create the unexpected. In leadership, that same freedom allows you to innovate, empower your teams, and explore new possibilities without fear of failing.

5. And perhaps most importantly, it’s more fun. Perfectionism drains the joy from both craft and leadership. When you release the need to get it “just right,” you invite energy, play, and creativity back into the process. Leaders who embrace imperfection create environments where people feel safe to experiment, take risks, and bring their best selves forward.

The Leadership Connection

Leadership, like any handmade craft, is a living, evolving process. It will never be flawless. But when we embrace the gifts of imperfection, authenticity, resilience, creativity, freedom, and joy, we don’t just lead better; we lead with humanity. And that’s what inspires people to follow.

What are you doing that is teaching you in unexpected ways?