My leadership style grew out of that same hands-on approach: experimenting, iterating, learning in real time.
Every time I come across a structured framework or theory about leadership, I’m reminded that my own experience has looked nothing like it. My approach has always been rooted in adaptability, curiosity, and collaboration, responding to what’s actually in front of me and finding a way through even when the path isn’t clear.
At Lara Kroeker Interactive, that approach is the foundation of how I lead. I work with entrepreneurs, artists, and makers, the kind of people who thrive on possibility, who dive into new ideas headfirst, and who aren’t afraid to experiment. Together, the work gets built, tested, and refined. There’s rarely a clear roadmap, but there’s always momentum. Moving forward happens by making something, not by planning around it first.
New tools and technologies keep reshaping how the work gets done. I make it a priority to keep up: exploring what’s next, testing new platforms, folding new ideas into the process as they prove useful. But the years of experience underneath all of that are what keep everything grounded. Those foundations, the lessons learned from trial, error, and collaboration, are what let me adapt with confidence instead of chasing whatever’s new.
What I’ve learned over the years is that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to ask better questions. It’s about guiding creative energy without smothering it, and knowing when to hold the vision and when to let someone else take it.
The truth is, I still make mistakes, often. That’s part of what keeps me learning and connected to the work. Each project brings new challenges, new tools, and new people to collaborate with, and each time I’m reminded that leadership is really about creating the conditions for someone else to do their best work.
Muddling through might sound imperfect, but in practice it’s about staying open, responsive, and human. It’s a reminder that progress usually looks like experimentation, that collaboration is never a straight line, and that the best outcomes show up when people feel safe enough to explore and get it wrong along the way.
So here’s to the people figuring it out as they go, leaders and creatives both. That’s often exactly how meaningful work gets made.
