Episode 28: AIFD Leadership: Interview with Jody McLeod AIFD, PFCI + Mayor of Clayton, NC
What do a monochromatic red floral panel and your shop's team captain have in common? More than you'd think. AIFD month continues as Vonda interviews Jody McLeod, AIFD, PFCI — Teleflora education specialist, Syndicate Sales design team member, and, since 2004, mayor of his hometown of Clayton, North Carolina. Jody presented the main stage program "Discovering the Art of Leadership" at the 2018 AIFD Symposium in Washington, D.C., and in this conversation he unpacks its big idea: the same principles and elements you use to design flowers can design a team, a business, and a community.
Leadership starts as a worker bee
Jody opened his symposium program with a line that stuck with Vonda: leadership doesn't begin on a stage with a spotlight — it begins in the back as a worker bee. Every time you volunteer, offer support, or stay after a program to clean up, you're building the character and style that make a leader. Nobody starts in the spotlight, and that's exactly why there's hope for everyone in the room.
He takes the design metaphor further. As mayor, Jody literally uses the principles and elements of design to build community: repetition of color in the downtown planters (giant farm mums at every door in fall), balance between heritage and futurism in new buildings. And line — the "vital visual path" of floral design — becomes the leader's roadmap: know where you're beginning, where you want to end, and what elements move you along the way.
The four leadership styles
The heart of the program — each style presented as a floral design — is a framework every shop owner can use to understand their team:
The controlling style (a strong monochromatic red panel, full of tension and binding techniques): decisive in planning, strategy, and execution; charismatic; quick to step into leadership; and above all certain — people follow leaders who speak with certainty. They delegate rather than do, communicate direct-and-to-the-point, and often assume you know what they know. They're your team captains — just don't expect them to lead with their heart.
The analytical style — Jody's favorite to tease — are the thinkers: reserved, curious, detail-obsessed, always armed with three or four plans and a spreadsheet. Their danger is "analysis paralysis," which Jody illustrates beautifully: bury a rose in a mound of bear grass and neither the rose nor anyone else can see its possibility. Down in the weeds, momentum dies. On a team they're the coaches — constantly gathering and sharing information.
The promoter style — Jody's home base — got a picture-frame design, because promoters love the center of attention: gingers, birds of paradise, and anthuriums screaming "look at me." They're loud, colorful, extroverted, and their gift to the team is contagious energy. Their growth edge is thinking before jumping. (Fun fact from Jody: promoters and analyticals are drawn to each other — the people who don't overthink love the people who do, and vice versa.)
The supporting style (delicate monochromatic yellow with Dendrobium orchids — and briars): the thoughtful ones who bring cookies to work, root for everyone, and lead from the heart with overwhelming loyalty. Their weakness is neglecting themselves. And the briars? Mess with someone they love and this gentle group goes zero to ninety — Jody pierced a phalaenopsis through a briar thorn to make the point.
Why this matters in your shop
Jody's whole team took the assessment together, and his summary is practical: know which style you are, know which styles your people are, and adjust how you communicate — the controlling leader wants the bottom line, the analytical wants every detail. The goal isn't to pick a best style; it's to access all four when the moment calls for it. His first rule of leadership: "If it's meant to be, it's up to me." And his closing quote, from John Quincy Adams: if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. That includes teaching a new employee to answer the phone correctly — leadership never goes away.
Jody's full 2018 program — including the priceless interview with his mama — is available on Vimeo, and his upcoming symposium program "Perspective 2020" moves to the 2021 symposium in Washington, D.C.
Key takeaways
- Leadership is built in the back room, not the spotlight — volunteering and helping are the training ground.
- The principles and elements of design apply beyond flowers: use line, balance, and rhythm to design your business and community.
- Learn the four styles — controlling, analytical, promoter, supporting — and communicate with each the way they receive best.
- A strong team needs all four; balance and harmony apply to people just like they apply to a design.
- If your actions inspire others to dream, learn, do, and become more — you're already a leader.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist