After attending and speaking at the 30th Annual Women Thrive Conference hosted by MichBusiness, I left energized by the reminder that what separates good leaders from great ones isn’t intellect or strategy – it’s their emotional intelligence, vulnerability and empathy.
For years, leadership conversations have focused on strategy, expertise and decision-making. Those things matter, but they’re table stakes. Increasingly, qualities that truly define impactful leadership are the ones traditionally labeled as “soft” skills: empathy, emotional intelligence, active listening, resilience and the ability to build trust.
Ironically, those skills are anything but soft.
The common thread I keep coming back to isn’t any single story or moment — it’s what every woman in that room understood: success isn’t measured solely by titles, recognition or professional accomplishments. It’s measured by impact.
Purpose Fuels Leadership
A 2026 Shooting Star recipient, Courtney Smith, founder and CEO of the Detroit Phoenix Center, said something that stuck with me. For her, showing up for people in their hardest moments with love and a full heart isn’t a choice; it’s her purpose. Her perspective reinforced that leadership is ultimately more about what you can give, not what you can gain.
That sentiment was continued by Genna Young, a former Franco team member whose explosive career has been a joy to follow. Genna spoke about how her proudest moments weren’t surrounding recognition or new titles, but the ones where she built community, made space for others and left every place better than she entered it. Hearing her on that stage was a full-circle moment for me.
I also had the privilege to speak as a Women in Leadership honoree, and one of my biggest takeaways from the day was how consistently the conversation came back to the same idea: the qualities that create strong cultures and meaningful leadership are often the ones we’ve underestimated for too long.
Soft Is the New Strong
As leaders, we often spend so much time focused on outcomes that we forget one of our most important responsibilities is helping others see what’s possible in themselves. That idea connects directly to something we’ve embraced at Franco this year through our “Soft Is the New Strong” campaign – centered on the leadership qualities many women bring to the table every day: active listening, empathy, courage and resilience.
Too often, those qualities are dismissed as “soft,” when in reality, they are what hold teams together, build trust and create environments where people can thrive. Technical skills may open doors, but what truly sets leaders apart is the combination of head and heart.
One of the questions moderator Karen Drew asked me was whether staying calm under pressure comes with experience. In many ways, it does. But the deeper lesson for me is that leadership isn’t about never feeling overwhelmed or uncertain. It’s about learning how to navigate those moments with emotional self-control, honesty and steadiness.
Vulnerability and strength aren’t opposites. They’re two sides of the same coin, and when you can authentically combine both, that’s when you build real, lasting trust.
Soft is the new strong. This conference reminded me why I believe that so fiercely, and I’m already looking forward to what the next 30 years of Women Thrive will bring.
Tina Kozak is Franco’s CEO. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
