During Women in Retail Leadership Circle’s Girl Talks event earlier this month in New York City, Kate Spade’s Chief Marketing Officer Mary Beech shared what she believes makes a great leader, her career path and how women can navigate the two. Below are just three takeaways from Beech’s inspiring speech. To learn more, check out the video below!

Be empathetic. “Empathy is a critical part of leadership.” Beech explains she started her career with tenacity out of the gate. However, through some tough lessons, she learned to take a step back and be empathetic to not only help herself but help her team.

There is no “it all.” “You have to decide what having ‘it all’ means.” Beech shared through personal triumphs and defeats that she’s a wife first, a mother second and an executive third. All women have to decide what having it all means to them. You can have it all, you just need to decide what the parameters are and prioritize.

Progress vs. perfection: “We often start meetings at Kate Spade saying “Hi, I’m … and I’m a recovering perfectionist.” She explains the importance of working together as a team and how, always, done is better than perfect.

Mary Beech, chief marketing officer of Kate Spade & Company, discusses what makes a great leader and how you can develop those skills at this month’s Girl Talks East event in New York City.