Early in her career, Najoh Tita-Reid believed leadership meant projecting strength at all times. She thought her role was to push through obstacles and carry responsibility for the team on her shoulders. But one piece of feedback shifted everything:
“You were trying to show up with your strengths and never really showing up with your vulnerability. And you were more accountable for people than they were for themselves.”
It was a wake-up call. Najoh realized that by shielding her team and never revealing her own vulnerabilities, she was unintentionally creating dependency and limiting growth.
“My job is to make it safe for my team to be great.”
Najoh reshaped her leadership approach, learning to clear the path not by carrying every burden herself, but by creating space for her teams to take ownership and thrive.
Clearing the path is about more than eliminating operational hurdles. It’s about removing the invisible barriers of fear and over-dependence that keep teams from realizing their full potential.
Najoh’s story shows that when leaders combine vulnerability with accountability, they don’t just carry their teams — they unleash them.
“Vulnerability builds trust. Shared accountability builds capacity. That’s how you make it safe for people to be great.”
Najoh Tita-Reid is Chief Brand & Experience Officer at Mars Petcare. With a career spanning Procter & Gamble, Bayer, Merck, and Logitech, she has led global transformations while championing diverse talent and inclusive leadership.