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By: Natalie Pryce (Pryceless Consulting)
Last Wednesday, Women's Leadership Network had the privilege of hosting an inspiring event at Bigelow Tea with Cindi Bigelow, who brought our Women's History Month celebrations to a remarkable close. As part of the WLN Women Empowerment Series, we explored not just the operations of Bigelow Tea, but also Cindi's personal journey and her approach to leadership.
A heartfelt thank you to Cindi Bigelow for her powerful message. She emphasized the importance of fluid resilience and vulnerability in leadership, being decisive and assertive, and the value of delegating for growth. She highlighted the importance of staying true to your core clients and always innovating while remaining grounded in your foundation.
Cindi also shared how critical it is to understand different areas of the business and to be a solutionist. Building a cohesive team that can align, function together, and handle disagreements is essential. Her experiences during COVID illustrated the necessity of making tough decisions for the greater good of the company's mission.
She opened up about the unique challenges of leading a multigenerational family business, where each generation at some point wants to take the helm—while the previous one may not be ready to let go. When Cindy suggested to her parents that establishing an advisory board would benefit Bigelow Tea, they were initially resistant. They didn’t want to be told what to do. But Cindy saw the board as an opportunity—to gather the best minds around the table to help grow and sustain the business. Her foresight helped introduce new perspectives and strategic guidance that strengthened the company's future.
Cindi shared how her father ensured she understood every aspect of the business before stepping into the role of President, emphasizing the importance of being a solutionist and truly understanding your team's challenges.
During the discussion, Cindi highlighted her difficult decision during COVID to bring her staff back, showcasing her resilience and ability to lead through challenging times. This decision underscored the importance of resilient leadership, the ability to navigate difficult moments, and delegate effectively.
Cindi's insights into leadership have truly resonated with our members, reinforcing the importance of empathy, resilience, delegation and understanding in leadership.
Stay tuned for more events and insights from the Women's Leadership Network! If your interested in sponsoring or hosting one of our WLN Women Empowerment Series, please contact natalie@brbc.org.