Leading with Respect with Marcy Syms
Wed Sep 10 2025
Marcy Syms is a pioneering businesswoman and advocate for respect in leadership.
She’s seen leadership fads come and go.
She was a CEO when people still thought “women shouldn’t do that sort of thing”
And she’s done something many folks have never had to endure - shuttering her family’s business while making her key creditors whole - an act deeply in line with her core value of respect.
Marcy shares insights from her journey in the retail industry, her experiences with leadership dynamics and her advocacy for the Equal Rights Amendment - something she hopes to see made part of the constitution while she’s still around to enjoy it!
Why Respect?
🗝️Respect drives sustainable growth - respect for your team allows them to feel empowered to be the face of your business and to build the processes and systems that make growth sustainable.
🗝️Giving respect helps you get respect - starting first, leading the conversation with respect at the core helps get things done, especially in times of stress and turbulence.
🗝️Respect is outer behavior and inner work - to make it a core habit and your default behavior takes strategic reflection and personal growth.
Check out the full conversation 👇
🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW
🍎 Apple: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb
📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@danielstillman-TCF-podcast
🌐more episodes at https://theconversationfactory.com/listen
And please subscribe on Spotify or iTunes!
Also! support the podcast with
a monthly contribution here: https://theconversationfactory.com/conversation-factory-insider
or a one-time donation here.: https://dastillman.gumroad.com/l/dscoffee
Don’t have time to watch or listen to the full episode? To learn more about leading conversations more powerfully and beautifully, watch these short clips 👇
👀make respect a habit and start from within
https://youtu.be/tmURMgvcnIs
👀How to Respond to Disrespect with Dignity and Strategy
https://youtu.be/f21aAalKGLU
👀To Scale you need to Respect your team
https://youtube.com/shorts/HczFY9-ASFw
👀Leadership Balances Top Down Strategy and Bottom up Insights
https://youtube.com/shorts/57yWfiQtykw
👀Know your board as humans
https://youtu.be/eH5Mv95iunE
One Takeaway to not forget: Fight for the ERA! Marcy shares how she sees the ERA as the ultimate sign of respect and continues to fight for women’s full inclusion in the constitution. Watch here: https://youtu.be/YAbEAqIVxzU
Key Links:
Marcy’s book: Leading with the Respect
Marcy’s website
More
Marcy Syms is a pioneering businesswoman and advocate for respect in leadership. She’s seen leadership fads come and go. She was a CEO when people still thought “women shouldn’t do that sort of thing” And she’s done something many folks have never had to endure - shuttering her family’s business while making her key creditors whole - an act deeply in line with her core value of respect. Marcy shares insights from her journey in the retail industry, her experiences with leadership dynamics and her advocacy for the Equal Rights Amendment - something she hopes to see made part of the constitution while she’s still around to enjoy it! Why Respect? 🗝️Respect drives sustainable growth - respect for your team allows them to feel empowered to be the face of your business and to build the processes and systems that make growth sustainable. 🗝️Giving respect helps you get respect - starting first, leading the conversation with respect at the core helps get things done, especially in times of stress and turbulence. 🗝️Respect is outer behavior and inner work - to make it a core habit and your default behavior takes strategic reflection and personal growth. Check out the full conversation 👇 🎙️ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QzcPAW 🍎 Apple: https://apple.co/4ifh6pb 📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@danielstillman-TCF-podcast 🌐more episodes at https://theconversationfactory.com/listen And please subscribe on Spotify or iTunes! Also! support the podcast with a monthly contribution here: https://theconversationfactory.com/conversation-factory-insider or a one-time donation here.: https://dastillman.gumroad.com/l/dscoffee Don’t have time to watch or listen to the full episode? To learn more about leading conversations more powerfully and beautifully, watch these short clips 👇 👀make respect a habit and start from within https://youtu.be/tmURMgvcnIs 👀How to Respond to Disrespect with Dignity and Strategy https://youtu.be/f21aAalKGLU 👀To Scale you need to Respect your team https://youtube.com/shorts/HczFY9-ASFw 👀Leadership Balances Top Down Strategy and Bottom up Insights https://youtube.com/shorts/57yWfiQtykw 👀Know your board as humans https://youtu.be/eH5Mv95iunE One Takeaway to not forget: Fight for the ERA! Marcy shares how she sees the ERA as the ultimate sign of respect and continues to fight for women’s full inclusion in the constitution. Watch here: https://youtu.be/YAbEAqIVxzU Key Links: Marcy’s book: Leading with the Respect Marcy’s website