Welcome to The Inspirational Leaders Series, a collection of short interviews with sharp, impactful leaders I know and respect—because the business world needs more refreshing people like them.
Meet Jared Della Valle, CEO and co-founder of Alloy, a real-estate developer committed to making Brooklyn, New York beautiful, sustainable and equitable. I had the privilege of coaching some of his team and was struck by their mission-driven culture. While most companies are battling retention, they’ve managed to retain talent much, much longer than the norm. In this interview, Jared shares how his perspective on leadership has shifted over time and how to cultivate creativity in teams.
What do you think people get wrong about leadership?
Speaking for myself, I didn’t realize my primary role as a leader was to simply support everyone else. I used to think I never had enough time to complete any of my own work and found myself saying, “I work for everyone else”, until I realized that was exactly right.
How do you nurture your team's creativity?
We encourage our entire staff to participate in early ideation sessions even if they don’t have a formal design education. Listening carefully and learning from each other’s lived experiences, alternative perspectives and instincts builds confidence and creates a safe space from which people feel confident exploring creatively.
What beliefs about leadership have you changed your mind about?
Leaders need not be expert in all things, they simply need to inspire.
