Lisa Hudak is the president and chief operating officer of Kittle’s Furniture, a family-owned and -operated furniture and bedding company based in Indiana. She’s also a Women in Retail Leadership Circle board member! In this member spotlight, we asked Hudak a series of questions about both her professional and personal lives so that you can get to know her better.

  1. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
    “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life” by Richard Rohr.
  2. What’s a tip you have for productively leading a remote or hybrid team?
    Short show-and-tell to begin a meeting (bring your favorite treasured item to share)
  3. What’s a mistake you made early on in your career? 
    No work-life balance; still recovering!
  4. What’s the toughest part of being in charge?
    A very small circle for sharing and collaborating in a small-sized company
  5. What’s the best way you motivate team members?
    Sharing my nonwork obsessions. Yes, my friend and I just visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios!
  6. What woman inspires you right now and why?
    My sister, Valerie, inspires me every day balancing her work life with a challenging home life. I’m inspired by her never-ending energy and her positive attitude in the face of adversity.
  7. What are you looking forward to the most for the industry?
    Stabilization of the supply chain and taking advantage of all of the lessons learned throughout the pandemic and the aftermath.
  8. What’s one thing you look for when interviewing a job candidate?
    What is it that they can geek out about with the team?!
  9. What’s something that you learned about yourself in the past year?
    People are watching me more and more closely in business settings. I’m uncomfortable in the spotlight!
  10. What’s your favorite podcast?
    “Learning How to See” with Brian McLaren
  11. What values are most important to you as a leader?
    Integrity and humility
  12. What’s the most important thing people should know about you?
    That I care about them, even if I’ve never met them.
  13. What’s one habit you adopted while working from home that you kept/would like to keep with you as you return to the office?
    Toggling between work and personal tasks during the workday. I’m still able to do this and it has made me a more productive and calm person.
  14. How would you describe yourself in a single sentence?
    I’m not your typical accountant. Really, I’m not!
  15. What’s your favorite app?
    Design Home
  16. What do you do to recharge?
    I work out with a personal trainer. Of course, I must do this with a trainer as I will always find some distraction if left to my own choosing.
  17. What’s your biggest accomplishment? 
    Raising children who are nice people with healthy senses of humor!
  18. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
    Speak up, lean in. I’m still figuring out how to do this.
  19. What gets you up in the morning?
    Working at a for-profit organization that has the opportunity to put to work many people who would not otherwise find or be able to hold jobs. Our culture allows this and encourages extreme caring for our fellow humans.
  20. What do you like most about being a member of Women in Retail Leadership Circle?
    I enjoy the sharing of common experiences and stories of success.

Interested in connecting with women like Lisa? Apply today to become a Women in Retail Leadership Circle member!