#292: Kecia Steelman, CEO, Ulta Beauty – Progress over perfection

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8 • 596 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, she is the CEO of Ulta Beauty, leading over 1500 stores worldwide, striking partnerships with Chanel and Beyonce, and creating record growth since she took over in early 2025. That kind of career momentum doesn’t happen by accident. And in this conversation, you’ll see the “progress over perfection” mentality that’s helped Kecia do it – all while building a strong team culture that’s laser focused on serving customers. If you’ve ever felt stuck overthinking a decision, here’s what it takes to beat analysis paralysis and keep pushing forward even when you don’t have all the answers. You’ll also learn: Kecia’s 80/20 rule for faster, bolder decisions Why your company strategy might not be sticking (and what to do about it) How to respond when you get passed over for a promotion The advice she wants every other woman in leadership to hear Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The How Leaders Lead App⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daily Insight Emails⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, friends, and welcome to another episode of How Leaders Lead with David Novak.
0:04.0	Today we have Keisha Steelman on the show, and at age 20, Keisha was a single mom, living in
0:09.7	government housing, making $8 an hour at Target. Today, she's the CEO of Ulta Beauty,
0:15.3	leading over 1,500 stores worldwide and striking partnerships with brands like Chanel and icons like Beyonce
0:22.0	and Shakira. Now that career momentum doesn't happen by accident. And in today's conversation,
0:27.0	you'll see that her mindset of progress over perfection is what's helped Keisha become the type of
0:33.2	leader she is today. Enjoy this conversation with David and Keisha, and I'll see you at the deep reef.
0:44.0	You know, Keisha, I got to tell you, I didn't know that we were going to wear the same color
0:47.1	today. I like it. You're wearing Alta Beattabini colors, too. It's great. Yeah, total accident,
0:52.0	you know, but you look great, and I'm glad to have you on the show.
0:55.2	You know, you grow up in a small town in Iowa called Mediapolis, a population of roughly 1,500 people.
1:03.5	Now you run a 1,500 store company.
1:07.4	What would 16-year-old Keisha say if you had, if someone told you that you'd be running
1:13.1	1,500 of anything one day?
1:15.4	I don't know that I would have believed it, that's for sure.
1:18.5	You know, I was a small town girl with big dreams, I think, from early on.
1:22.8	And I wouldn't change a thing.
1:25.2	Coming from a small town, small community that was tight-knit,
1:28.8	probably kept me out of a little bit of trouble along the way. But, you know, having humble
1:34.6	beginnings early on, I think really has been really grounding for me and a foundation of really
1:42.2	truly who I am to the core. I'm very thankful for the opportunities
1:46.3	I've been given and where I am today. And to have come from a small town like Mediapolis, Iowa,
	...

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