Women Of The C-Suite: Liz Morris, of Carrot-Top Industries and AmericanFlags.com On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive An Interview With Doug Noll
Women of the C-Suite
Listen to your gut. I’m data-driven, so I would love to make all my decisions from reports and facts.
As a part of our interview series called “Women of The C-Suite”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Liz Morris
Liz Morris, the CEO of Carrot-Top Industries, oversees the second-largest independent flag dealer in the United States. Taking the helm of the family business, she expanded its reach by acquiring AmericanFlags.com, reinforcing their commitment to supplying USA-sourced American-made flags from local seamstresses and developers. Carrot-Top Industries and AmericanFlags.com supply flags to the armed forces, corporations, schools, police and fire departments, veterans’ groups, and patriotic families nationwide.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this career path?
My dad established Carrot-Top Industries in 1980, which originally operated as a mail-order company out of our family home in Oak Park, Illinois. I worked on and off in the business through college but decided to pursue other opportunities. After college, I acted as a project manager in the banking industry, and while I loved what I did, I kept checking in on my dad and his plan for the business when he retired. My decision to come home came from a desire to build upon my father’s legacy and develop an even more thriving business to make my family proud. As an individual who grew up playing team sports, and I bring that competitive spirit to my leadership style. Our vision is to be a leader in not just quality, but in service to our customers and allegiance to the proud American flag industry.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I think every company has amazing stories to share from pivoting during COVID and finding new opportunities to service customers and assist employees. My team really came together during that time. Their resilience didn’t surprise me at all, although it did inspire me. Their ability to adapt to new technology that allowed us to work from home, and their dedication to get the job done at any cost. Since COVID, we have committed to a shared vision of preparing the business for growth and doing so in an employee-centric way. This involved adopting new scalable systems and processes and being open to the change that comes with an acquisition. We successfully acquired a new brand in 2022, AmericanFlags.com, which aligned with our goal to provide customers with the best customer service and high-quality construction available in the industry. I’m continuously impressed by the team’s adaptability, positive spirit, and their hunger and drive for additional growth.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Absolutely! I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible women who pushed and inspired me. Karen Shelton was my field hockey coach at UNC; she recently retired as the winningest coach in the sport’s history. In 2007, my team went undefeated and won a NCAA Championship. We learned to take risks, have self-confidence, turn on a dime, and keep our heads on a swivel. She taught me to be accountable, have a bad-ass attitude, and demonstrate the strength and power of committing to a shared vision.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? The hardest decisions I’ve had to make have always had to do with people. It is difficult to recognize when it is time to let go of a team member who is no longer a suitable fit for the organization. I’ve also had to make decisions where we move away from a strategy and don’t have available resources to keep impacted folks on the team. As CEO, it is my responsibility to do what is best for the company and its employees and sometimes this requires pivoting away from plans, policies, resources, and individuals that do not serve our mission. These delicate decisions require a great deal of thought and reflection, as well as concern for the future of the company, and since they usually involve genuinely good people who share our values and work ethic, it can be immensely challenging.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?
I think the obvious answer is that the buck stops with me. When I first took over as CEO, the pressure of being responsible for the team and the company’s health made me feel isolated. I took over as CEO five months before COVID, so that added uncertainty compounded my stress. It took me a few years to build the team we have today, where we are all standing shoulder to shoulder, rowing in the same direction, and holding each other accountable. I’ve also focused on growing a network of CEOs that I can connect with to discuss shared problems, learn from them, and get support in navigating the complexities of owning a business.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive?
One of the myths I’ve personally struggled with is the feeling that to be a great CEO, you must be charismatic. Nothing against charismatic CEOs! I’m naturally much more of an introvert. I still have doubts sometimes about the effectiveness of my leadership style, but I strongly believe it’s much more important for CEOs to be authentic and find their own way to connect with their team genuinely.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
I came from the banking industry, which is heavily dominated by men. Historically, the flag industry is no different, although, in the last few years, at least four of the top fifteen flag dealers in America are now owned by women. Some women struggle with how to speak and lead with confidence. As a young executive, I can also be impacted by age biases, so I’ve focused on being intentional about my presence and the language I use. I am not arguing that only women have confidence issues, but I believe all women can benefit from learning strategies to enhance their impact.
What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?
The biggest difference is that random projects seem to take up much more of my time than I would have guessed! Most of our team is heads down working on driving customers to our business and getting orders out the door, we don’t always have folks on deck to jump in when projects come up. For example, when I started as CEO, I helped audit our Sales and Use Taxes. Most recently, we had a water heater burst in our building. There always seem to be projects that I’m not an expert in, but I’ll need to quickly get up to speed and help firefight along with the team. I’ve built confidence to know how to arm myself with information, ask for help, and clearly articulate where I do not understand something.
Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?
I believe in the American Dream — that anyone can achieve their goals through hard work, determination, and opportunity. If you want to be an executive, you never stop learning, are self-aware, are transparent, authentic, and decisive, you will be successful!
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. You don’t have to have the answers. In fact, feeling like you already know the answer closes off the creative part of your brain. State the objective, and be open to different ways of achieving that goal. Know that you can have a set plan and tweak or course-correct as you learn more.
2. Listen to your gut. I’m data-driven, so I would love to make all my decisions from reports and facts. Many important decisions need to be made quickly when you do not necessarily have all the facts or the time to gather the data. Have confidence in yourself.
3. It’s not about you. Check your ego. It’s about your people. Surround yourself with smart people and build a network of folks you can contact for advice. Good people want to make a difference, are willing to give you honest, constructive feedback (even the stuff you won’t want to hear), and will challenge you to be the best version of yourself.
4. Shut up. Seek first to understand, then be understood. By actively listening and trying to understand others’ perspectives, you can build a culture of communication and collaboration. This is how you build trust and a great team.
5. Use all your vacation time. This applies to everyone, not just CEOs. Responsibility brings stress, worry, and self-doubt. You must take care of yourself to continue to press the business forward.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be?
I would love to foster a movement around manifesting goals and dreams! I believe that mindset is everything. If you have a vision for what you want to get out of life, are intentional about goal setting, and take a hard look at your limiting beliefs, I believe wholeheartedly that you will slay your personal demons and take on the world!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.
