Skims Co-Founder: This Is How Empathetic Leaders Remain Professional

The co-founder of SKIMS explained that a leader does not have to treat everyone like a family member.

However, she believes that employees should not be surprised by difficult conversations about their performance.

Emma Grede, co-founder of SKIMS, said that good leaders would not allow their employees to be caught unprepared by something at work.

During an appearance on Rich Kleiman’s podcast “Boardroom”, the entrepreneur spoke about how she deals with difficult decisions as a leader.

For Grede, effective leadership is about reconciling empathy with the needs of the company.

“You can be an extremely empathetic leader and absolutely prioritize the needs of the team and employees in everything you do,” Grede explained to Kleiman. “And yet you still need an entrepreneurial mindset to do what is right for the company.”

Ultimately, a company must also be financially healthy before it can adequately support its employees, Grede said.

As founder and CEO, it is her top priority to make decisions that serve the company – even if that means recognizing that some employees may no longer be the right fit for the company as it grows.

As a leader, you have to make difficult decisions,” she said. “It’s not my job to be your friend. It’s not my job to treat everyone as if we were family. But that doesn’t mean you lack empathy or treat people badly.”

Grede recalled a lesson from Mellody Hobson, the former CEO of Starbucks, who taught her that being honest did not mean being harsh or brutal.

As co-founder of several consumer brands, including the jeans brand “Good American” and the sportswear brand “Off Season”, Grede said she works in an environment that requires “radical honesty”.

This means that employees are rarely surprised by feedback on their performance, according to Grede – and since these conversations take place regularly, “nobody is surprised”.

“It is not my job, or that of any other woman in a leadership position, to treat everyone with kid gloves along the way,” she said.

“We run a company like any other, with an entrepreneurial mentality to do the best that is right for the company,” Grede added.

Beyond her leadership approach, Grede has also spoken openly about the demanding work ethic and level of commitment that she believes are necessary to build a successful career and a successful company.

In May 2025, Grede stated that she considered it a warning sign when applicants spoke about work-life balance. “Work-life balance is your problem. It is not your employer’s responsibility,” she said.

In April, she took a clear stance against remote work, calling it “professional suicide” and explaining that direct contact with colleagues can be particularly valuable at the beginning of one’s career.

Grede’s attitude towards work and motherhood also sparked discussions earlier this year when she described herself as a “maximum three-hour mom” on weekends in an interview with the “Wall Street Journal” in April.