By:  Deb Monfette 

Most leaders say people are their greatest asset, but few run their teams like they mean it. For Carrie Prince, Chief Operations Officer at Carnaby & Vine and certified professional leadership coach, people-first leadership isn’t a slogan. It’s a system.

Prince has led through everything from high-growth turnarounds to large-scale crisis operations, helping steer a company from chaos to acquisition in under a year, and managing operations when Dodger Stadium became the country’s largest COVID-19 testing site. Today, she applies that same rigor and heart to her coaching and to People Fuss, the podcast she co-hosts with Doug Daniels on modern leadership.

Prince says, “Strong systems are important, but systems that ignore people always break. When leaders focus on belonging, clarity, and shared accountability, performance follows naturally.”

Five People-First Plays for Leaders

Prince has identified five practical plays any leader can use to build trust, retain talent, and create workplaces where people truly thrive.

1. Lead With Shared Purpose, Not Just Policy

New leaders often start by enforcing processes—setting meetings, clarifying roles, tightening accountability. Those things matter, but they’re not what creates commitment.

Prince explains, “The first question I ask leaders is, ‘Does your team know why their work matters? When people understand purpose, you don’t have to micromanage. They self-manage.”

At Carnaby & Vine, Prince emphasizes shared ownership over compliance. Rather than introducing a new policy top-down, she invites input from people most affected by new policies. That inclusion builds trust and prevents crises before they start.

Her rule of thumb: Align first, formalize second.

2. Build Grace Into the Feedback Loop

Feedback cultures are easy to talk about and hard to live. Most workplaces either avoid feedback until review season or deliver it in a way that triggers defensiveness. 

Prince says, “Feedback should feel like a mirror, not a magnifying glass. You’re helping someone see themselves more clearly, not picking them apart.”

Her teams use a simple format:

• Clarify what’s working and what’s not, using observable behavior.
• Celebrate wins immediately and publicly.
• Coach privately, with curiosity instead of judgment.

When mistakes happen, leaders focus on the system gaps behind them rather than assigning blame. The result is calm accountability that builds both safety and excellence.

3. Hire for Strengths, Grow for Gaps

Prince’s leadership leans on strengths-based development. “People do their best work when they operate in their zone of genius,” she says. “That doesn’t mean ignoring weaknesses, but it does mean designing roles that let people shine.”

At Carnaby & Vine, Prince regularly revisits team structure to ensure employees are aligned with evolving goals. Her advice: hire slow, onboard with intention, and stay curious about potential. When people grow within their strengths, engagement—and retention—skyrocket.

4. Create Space for Growth and Grace for Mistakes

Burnout doesn’t always come from overwork; it often comes from stagnation. Prince believes growth and grace are the twin engines of resilience. “People stay where they can grow,” she explains. “And they grow where they feel safe to fail.”

That means giving employees stretch assignments before they feel 100% ready, paired with coaching and check-ins. It also means creating rituals for reflection—short debriefs after major projects where everyone can name lessons learned.

Prince says, “It’s not about perfection. It’s about iteration. Every mistake is a data point for how to improve the system, not proof that someone’s broken it.”

The outcome? Teams that learn faster and lead stronger.

5. Make Connection Your Competitive Edge

In a world obsessed with productivity hacks and automation, Prince’s most radical belief might be that connection is the real multiplier.

Prince says, “When leaders prioritize belonging, creativity and performance rise automatically. Connection creates energy. Energy creates momentum.”

At Carnaby & Vine, connection shows up through weekly gratitude rounds, public shout-outs, and celebrating collective wins over individual heroics. Prince also weaves mindfulness and humor into team meetings to reset stress and refocus attention.

On People Fuss, she and Daniels take that principle global—helping audiences navigate conflict and culture with context, humor, and humanity. People want to be part of something that feels good and does good. That’s not soft leadership—it’s sustainable leadership. 

The Case for People-First, Private Companies

Beyond the workplace, Prince’s belief in connection reflects a larger trend across the business world—a renewed appreciation for staying private.

Prince says, “People are paying attention to how companies treat both employees and customers. I’ve been following the shift toward more privately held companies. When I look at brands like Trader Joe’s or REI, I feel a sense of community. The people are engaged, the purpose is clear, and the experience feels personal. That’s what happens when people and profit stay in partnership.”

She believes this reflects more than economics—it’s cultural. As wealth gaps widen and corporations become less personal, people are craving connection. Screens and AI can manage efficiency, but they can’t replace empathy. That’s where human-centered leadership comes in.

For Prince, the takeaway is simple: put people at the center, and performance follows.

Performance Through People

Prince’s approach challenges the binary between people and profit. In her world, they’re not opposing forces, they’re partners in performance.

Her blend of operational precision and human understanding makes her a sought-after coach and advisor for companies that want both growth and groundedness. Whether leading operations, mentoring executives, or unpacking the “fuss” of modern work, Prince’s message remains the same: lead with empathy, build with clarity, and measure success in both revenue and relationships.

Prince explains, “When you invest in people-first systems, profits follow naturally. But if you chase profits at the expense of people, the short-term wins eventually cost you the long-term health of the business.”

Learn more about Carrie Prince’s leadership coaching at CarriePrinceCoaching.com and listen to People Fuss on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.