Words of Wisdom from Honest’s CEO & Other Beauty Leaders.
Nick Vlahos is the CEO of The Honest Company. Before joining Honest, Nick was COO of Clorox and was CEO of Burt’s Bees from 2011–2013. I recently sat down with Nick in his office, where I noticed quotes on his wall like “great leaders lead from optimism” and “curiosity makes a difference.” In addition to discussing what’s new with Honest Beauty, we talked about what those quotes mean to him and what motivates him as a leader.
Below are a few highlights from our interview and you can hear the whole conversation on the Lightspeed podcast –Tomorrow, Built Today.
On what inspired him to join Honest:
“What I found was this mission that Jessica had really established early on — the mission of empowering people to live healthy, happy lives. My wife Angela andI [often] think about how we educate [our four children] on wellness, sustainability, and making better choices on a consistent basis. The brand really spoke to me from that standpoint.”
On authentic leadership:
“I think the most important thing is being authentic and walking the talk. From a cultural perspective, individuals are looking at leaders. They look at you and they say, is he really walking the talk?”
On natural beauty products:
“There’s always a stigma around of natural products of “can they actually perform?” Can you have the same color pay off on that lipstick as you do with a product that’s more conventional in nature? That’s why investment in beauty labs, investment in R&D are crucial to ensure that you’re actually delivering and performing at a very high level. You can never compromise as it pertains to product.”
On international expansion:
“For us, being very connected in the market and understanding where the trends are and making the right investments to understand the consumer. Having the right partner in a company like Douglas who’s actually feet on the ground in those markets.”
On the Honest consumer:
“The consumer for us is one that’s interested in a better-for-you proposition without the harsh chemicals but still want the performance and the safety”
On Leadership:
“Leadership is about rallying people to a better place. It’s about being curious, interested, and always trying to improve”
Nick’s favorite quote:
From Jim Collins: “focus more on being interested versus trying to be interesting.”
