A growth mindset is essential for leadership excellence and continued improvement. Leaders with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can be developed and enhanced through effort and persistence. Two key traits that fuel a growth mindset are curiosity and empathy. When leaders show genuine curiosity about their employees' experiences, challenges, and ideas, it leads to a deeper understanding of how to support and motivate teams. Empathy allows leaders to understand the impact of their decisions and communication, which enables them to course correct and try new approaches.

In this interview with Virginia Frischkorn of Partytrick, we discover that by cultivating curiosity and empathy, leaders can enhance their growth mindset and become the best leaders they can be.

What do you think is your greatest strength as a leader & why?

My greatest strength as a leader is my unwavering commitment to the vision of what I set my mind to and what it takes to get it done. I am a deeply committed person. Within that commitment I know there needs to be room left for pivots, changes and of course being flexible. Commitment is a wonderful thing but commitment with a growth mindset is powerful.

What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should embody & why?

The one characteristic I believe a leader should embody is curiosity followed closely behind with empathy. I think curiosity towards the product, the team, the customer and every area within the business leads to the business always learning and then out of that learning is growth. An open growth mindset is a key component. You can't lead if you are not open minded. 

What are the most important decisions you make as a leader of your organization?

The most important decision you make as a leader is bringing together the right team to bring the vision to life. As the business grows having the right team in place will start the big transition from launching a vision to making sure the customer and their wants and needs are met at each step of the way. Team and customer what I put my every day efforts into knowing if those two areas are supported, revenue follows.

Meet Virginia: Virginia Trafton Frischkorn is the founder and CEO of Partytrick, a tech platform built to disrupt the event industry, helping to make planning and executing highly curated events accessible and convenient for everyone. Throughout her 14-year career in the event industry, she has gained prestige among her peers as one of the top event planners in the country. She has been named best wedding planner by Vogue, Brides, & Over The Moon, and was also recognized as one of BizBash’s Must-Know Event Pros.

After working on hundreds of events, she realized the events industry had to change. It is her firm belief that gathering is not a luxury, but a necessity. Her passion shifted from creating luxury experiences for a select few to helping the “everyday” host to create the same kind of memorable experiences for themselves. Partytrick is her newest venture; the digitally native platform and membership-based app empowers hosts to gather in creative and meaningful ways. Her mission is to take the hassle out of hosting and foster purposeful connections.

Connect with Virginia at:

• Website

• LinkedIn