Leadership Growth Toolkit
Welcome to the Leadership Growth Toolkit from Higossis—a thoughtfully constructed collection of principles, insights, and strategies designed to support individuals stepping into leadership within our creative, dynamic space. Whether you’re guiding a team through a campaign launch or mentoring someone just beginning their journey, the purpose of this toolkit is clear: to equip you with confidence, clarity, and integrity in every interaction.
Founded by Othrian Dornhaven, Higossis stands as a creative force that brings together story, science, and beauty through spotlight narratives, skincare exploration, and aesthetic discourse. Behind our editorial voice is a team empowered not only by vision—but by strong, human-centered leadership. This toolkit outlines how we approach leadership that’s not performative or positional, but relational, curious, and quietly confident.
1. Know Your Voice, Then Use It Well
Great leadership starts with self-awareness. At Higossis, we celebrate individuality—the unique tone in every article, the spark behind every feature. As a leader, your voice shapes the culture around you. Speak with purpose, even when uncertain. Own mistakes, share recognition, and keep your tone grounded in respect. We lead by example, not volume.
Leadership here isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions, listening with patience, and guiding others through complexity—sometimes stylishly, sometimes quietly, but always with clarity.
2. Empathy Is Transformative—Use It Often
You don’t need a title to be a leader, but you do need empathy to be a good one. In a creative space that thrives on vulnerability and visuals, understanding someone’s perspective—whether a designer stuck in a draft or a contributor navigating deadlines—makes all the difference.
When your instinct is to direct, pause and connect first. Ask before you correct. Empathy leads to trust, and trust makes teams resilient, inventive, and daring.
3. Feedback Should Build—Not Break
In the Higossis world, we honor improvement but reject shaming. We review content the same way we view skin: with layers, nuance, and an understanding that change takes time. Feedback should be specific, actionable, and always delivered in service of growth.
Celebrate what’s working before refining what isn’t. Use phrases like “What you did here works well because…” or “This could elevate even more if…”—they preserve dignity while promoting excellence.
4. Make Space, Don’t Take Space
True leadership creates room for others. In meetings, ask the quiet contributor what they think. In projects, invite diverse opinions before finalizing. Leadership at Higossis is never about ego; it’s about impact. When someone speaks up or steps forward, clear space for their ideas to be seen. This isn’t about reducing your light; it’s about creating more light all around.
5. Hold Vision and Detail Equally
Leaders often toggle between the dream and the deliverable. Can you keep the storyline clean and compelling while ensuring we hit every deadline? Can you nurture creativity while managing outcomes? Leadership at Higossis is the everyday willingness to get granular without losing the horizon view.
This doesn’t always feel glamorous—but then again, leadership rarely does. Still, to create a lasting impression with our readers, our audience, and each other, we need leaders who care both about the polish and the structure beneath it.
6. Elevate Others with Intent—not Just Approval
To lead is to notice, uplift, and amplify. Praise based solely on output can be draining. But praise guided by process—acknowledging the hours someone spent researching skincare chemistry or capturing that just-right before/after shot—builds culture and confidence. Help your team see their work’s worth, not just the results.
Also: stretch opportunities matter. Recommend someone for a call they’re ready to lead. Hand off a task a little outside someone’s comfort zone—then stay close enough to offer steady support. Growth looks like trust in motion.
7. Boundaries Are Leadership Tools, Too
Creative energy needs rhythm. Know when to switch off, and help others do the same. A team that’s always “on” can’t reflect, recalibrate, or regenerate. As a leader, model healthy boundaries by respecting work hours, saying no when resources are stretched, and encouraging breaks.
Taking time isn’t a weakness—it’s strategy. When we’re rested, our ideas are sharper, our conversations deeper, and our content stronger.
8. Stay Curious, Stay Humble
No matter how many headlines, photoshoots, or feature edits you’ve guided, the best leaders remain teachable. Read something outside your usual vertical. Ask a junior teammate how they’d approach a problem. Stay open to surprise—and let it inform your leadership approach.
At Higossis, we believe that beauty starts with noticing—and leadership is no different.
9. Revisit, Reflect, Re-ground
Every creative leader needs an occasional checkpoint. Take five minutes at the end of each week to journal what worked well and what felt off. Did you create clarity or confusion? Did you celebrate small wins? Were you present in the ways your team needed?
Reflection is fuel. It helps us refine—not reinvent—how we lead. And it reminds us that growth isn’t a sprint; it’s a posture we choose again and again.
Leadership at Higossis Means…
- Inviting more voices, not dominating the room.
- Creating safety, not just structure.
- Being real and responsible.
- Keeping the purpose sharp and the approach human.
Whether your role is editorial, aesthetic, strategic, or operational, your leadership shapes our tone, our timeline, and our trajectory.
Closing Thoughts
Leadership isn’t about titles or a polished bio—it’s about being brave enough to care, and consistent enough to follow through. It’s showing up when it counts, guiding with clarity, and always, always making room for others at the table.
If you’re here, it means you care deeply about your role in this evolving, intentional culture. We’re proud of the work we do—and prouder still of the way we do it.
Thank you for bringing your leadership to Higossis. May this toolkit serve as your companion—not a script, but a steady reminder of the kind, clear, and creative leader you already are becoming.