Why We Closed Our Showroom for Two Days
For the fourth year running, we closed our doors for two days so our entire team could attend the 2025 Global Leadership Summit — a deliberate investment in the people who drive Drury Design forward. This commitment reflects our belief that growth fuels excellence, whether in design innovation, client relationships, or fostering a culture where every voice matters.
The speaker lineup included a high performance expert and a Fortune 100 CEO. There were best-selling authors, a Grammy-nominated singer, a leading authority on 21st century teamwork and an organizational psychologist. Maybe it won’t surprise you that our staff was particularly wowed by a Hall of Fame college football coach who won 7 national titles!
Below, our team shares some quotes and lessons we’ll be carrying into our next projects…
“People don’t do what they hear but what they see.”
– John C. Maxwell, Leadership Expert
Context: Teams emulate behaviors, not platitudes. Leaders must embody the standards they set
“Excellence requires you to do things when no one is looking.”
– Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO, TIAA; Former CEO of Consumer Bank and Auto Finance, JP Morgan Chase
“In the time we break us, we can uniquely remake us.”
– Tasha Eurich, Organizational Psychologist
Context: Great teams don’t fear breakdowns; they mine them for breakthroughs. That’s where reinvention begins
Karla Mendoza, Assistant Designer
“Don’t allow relief syndrome to slow you down during times of success, you’re always competing against yourself at your best.”
–Nick Saban, 7-Time National Championship-Winning Coach, Hall of Fame Inductee
Former Head Football Coach at Alabama
Robert Anderson, Assistant Designer
“Never compare your beginning to somebody else’s middle.”
– John Acuff, Inc Top 100 Leadership Speaker
“Sometimes you have great intentions…
Consistency closes the gap between good intentions and actions.”
–Craig Groeschel, Founding and Senior Pastor, Life.Church
Kailey Trostle, Assistant Designer
“When dealing with tension, sometimes the goal shouldn’t be immediate solutions. Sometimes it should be increased understanding.”
– Gabriel Salguero, Pastor and President of the National Lainto Evangelical Coalition
Rick Windgassen, VP Operations
“It’s not about beating the other guy, it’s about being the best you can be. Don’t let the other guy define your level of success.”
–Nick Saban, 7-Time National Championship-Winning Coach, Hall of Fame Inductee
Former Head Football Coach at Alabama
Context: Dan Owolabi used the analogy of an acorn to illustrate how seeing potential in others can lead to exponential growth. By recognizing the possibility within an acorn to produce not just one oak tree, but a whole grove, he emphasized that when you see potential in someone, you’re envisioning their ability to inspire and create far beyond what they might see in themselves.
Emily Tomek, Designer – City Design (Drury Design’s branch in Des Moines)
“They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”
–Nick Saban, 7-Time National Championship-Winning Coach, Hall of Fame Inductee
Former Head Football Coach at Alabama
–Olivia Karlen, Assistant Designer – City Design (Drury Design’s branch in Des Moines)
“How can you be burnt out if you’ve never been on fire?”
– John C. Maxwell, Leadership Expert
Context –
Context: Burnout implies overwork, but Maxwell argues many professionals are under-engaged. Maxwell suggests that you can’t lose what you never had – real leadership requires igniting passion first.
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“Great thoughts lead to great actions. Great actions lead to great results.”
– John Acuff, Inc Top 100 Leadership Speaker
Keri Rogers, Assistant Designer
“Fear comes free, hope takes work.”
– John Acuff, Inc Top 100 Leadership Speaker
Kaelyn Lawrenz, Assistant Designer
Context: Our brains are wired to default to fear. Hope requires intentional cultivation.
“Compliancy is blatant disregard for what’s right for success.”
–Nick Saban, 7-Time National Championship-Winning Coach, Hall of Fame Inductee
Former Head Football Coach at Alabama
“The best day is today.”
– Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO, TIAA; Former CEO of Consumer Bank and Auto Finance, JP Morgan Chase
Context: Brown Duckett argued that impact isn’t about waiting for a grand moment, but “showing up fully in the small, ordinary days.”
Carl Schanstra, CFO
“Always lean into opportunities, don’t wait for them to come to you.”
– Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO, TIAA; Former CEO of Consumer Bank and Auto Finance, JP Morgan Chase
Chloe Podewell, Design Intern
“Be fully you so others can be fully them. Only insecure leaders remove others’ identity.”
– Gabriel Salguero, Pastor and President of the National Lainto Evangelical Coalition
Context: Salguero argues that teams thrive when everyone is allowed to be who they really are. This begins with leaders bringing their authentic selves to their teams.
Eilonwy Bledsoe, Marketing Associate
“The secret to productivity isn’t doing more things faster—it’s doing fewer things better”
– Juliet Funt, High Performance Expert
Doug Beneda, Controller
“All you have to do to drift is nothing.”
– Christine Caine, Cofounder, The A21 Campaign and Propel Women
Context: We often assume only outright failures lead to poor performance. But the real danger lies in mediocrity – when we simply go through the motions, we gradually lose our edge in both execution and culture.
Joe Coffey, Marketing Director
“Never quit in the middle of a storm.”
–David Ashcraft, President and CEO, Global Leadership Network
Context: Quitting in the middle of a storm often means abandoning a strategy or a goal just before it might succeed. A leader’s role is to maintain a long-term perspective and make strategic decisions, even when the immediate situation is overwhelming.
Gerik Wozniak, Warehouse Manager
Closing Stronger Together
“Growth isn’t an expense — it’s the foundation of our future,” says CFO Carl Schanstra. “When we invest in experiences like GLS, we’re not just building skills; we’re building a team that can transform challenges into breakthroughs for our clients.”
Owner and Creative Director Gladys Schanstra adds: “Leadership shines brightest when it unlocks potential. This year’s Summit reminded us that the best designs — and the best teams — are born from curiosity, courage, and the willingness to rethink what’s possible.”
As we return to the studio, these lessons go with us: in every sketch, every conversation, and every detail that makes a house a home.