VSP Vision’s Kristi Cappelletti-Matthews on relational leadership

As organizations scale across geographies, acquisitions, and layers of leadership, relational leadership becomes harder to define and even harder to sustain. What does it actually look like in practice, beyond accessibility or likability? How do leaders embed it into the operating model, decide where deeper investment matters most, and demonstrate its value in moments of change? Those are not abstract questions for Kristi Cappelletti-Matthews, CHRO at VSP Vision. Known for her relational leadership, she spoke with us about what it takes to build and sustain that approach at enterprise scale.

Kristi Cappelletti-Matthews is Chief Human Resources Officer at VSP Vision, where she leads the company’s human resources strategy and oversees talent, rewards, organizational effectiveness, and core HR operations. A veteran HR executive with more than three decades of experience across healthcare, insurance, software, and semiconductor organizations, she has spent the last 18 years at VSP, 16 of them in a range of leadership roles.

Many leaders want to build trust and connection, but few can sustain it across a large, complex enterprise. You’ve built a reputation for doing exactly that. What does that require in practice?

Sometimes we tend to overcomplicate things by overanalyzing them. At a basic level, if there is something we really want, we will do what it takes to achieve it. I think building trust and connection is no different. If leaders genuinely want that depth of relationship, they have to be willing to make the time and create the space for it.

For me, the bigger risk is when it becomes performative. People can see right through that. They know when someone is being inauthentic or trying to relate in a way that feels removed from their actual experience. You cannot assume people will not recognize the difference.

That is why I come back to being intentional about learning about one another. That means asking questions, but it also means listening. We all have different experiences, and that is part of what fuels relationships in the first place. The work is really in understanding where someone is coming from and where you can meet in the middle.

Relational leadership is a phrase that gets used often. How do you define it more concretely?

I think we have to be honest about our intentions. As colleagues, we need one another to achieve organizational goals, so relational leadership cannot simply mean being accessible, empathetic, or well-liked. Those qualities matter, but they are not enough on their own. It has to go deeper than that.

For me, relational leadership is really about being your authentic self in all aspects of leadership, and especially about leading by example. People do not just expect leaders to lead by their words. More importantly, they expect leaders to lead by their actions. That is what gives it substance.

Consistency is a big part of it too. People are always paying attention to senior leaders, whether you are walking into a building or joining a Zoom meeting. You have to be as present and in the moment as possible. Over the years, I have learned from some great mentors, and I have also seen examples that made me think, I do not ever want to lead that way. What I come back to is simple: treat people how I want to be treated, with respect and dignity, regardless of level.

VSP Vision has grown significantly through acquisition. How do you make this kind of leadership durable as the organization scales?

This question really resonates right now because durability matters most when an organization is growing quickly. Over the last six to seven years, VSP Vision has experienced a tremendous amount of growth through several acquisitions, and our employee population has almost quadrupled. We are still in various stages of integration with acquired companies, so it would be disingenuous for me to suggest that the employee experience is already fully consistent everywhere. We are not there yet.

What I can say with confidence is that ethical and relational leadership is very clearly front and center from the VSP Vision perspective. That expectation is clear to the leaders of our acquired companies, and I believe it starts with us in HR. We have to be clear about where we ultimately want to take these integration efforts and about the kind of leadership that will be required along the way.

Purpose matters here as well. Our mission and purpose are often what draw people to VSP Vision in the first place. We spent a lot of time reinforcing that, including during COVID, because it is such an important part of the fabric of the organization. We are a very mission-driven company, and that purpose sits at the forefront of our strategy. When that is clear, it helps relational leadership become part of how the organization operates, not just the style of individual leaders.

No leader can invest in every relationship at the same depth. How do you decide where deeper attention is needed?

I think it starts with self-awareness and with recognizing where and when more depth is needed. Then you have to be intentional about strengthening that depth when the situation calls for it. I actually think it is a misnomer when leaders say they treat everyone the same or give everyone the same level of attention. That is not realistic, because no two people are the same, situations change, and business priorities change.

So for me, it is less about sameness and more about knowing when to pivot as the business requires. It is more than just meeting the moment. It is really about meeting people where they are in order to meet the moment. Even within my own direct team, every person is different, and every person needs different things at different times.

Of course, the practical challenge is time. There used to be those days when people would stop by and ask, “Do you have a minute?” and by the end of the day there were no more minutes. Now that same dynamic often shows up in chats, texts, and team messages. But when a team member reaches out, I really do try to make the time to talk through what they are working through, what they are balancing, and how they are supporting the business. That is what keeps it authentic and sustainable.

Relational leadership is sometimes dismissed as soft. Where have you seen it create real business value?

At VSP Vision, I can point to both our business results and our employee engagement results. In 2025, we concluded our five-year enterprise strategic plan, which had been established in 2020. Back then, many of us thought there was no way we could meet all of those goals, but we did. We achieved the goals that were set for us as an organization and as an executive team. At the same time, year over year, our employee engagement remained solid and strong.

That is why I think the mindset around relational leadership being soft needs to shift. It is okay to be tough when needed, as long as both approaches are authentic and appropriate for the situation. Relational leadership is not about lowering standards. It is about creating the trust and credibility that help people move through change and execute.

You can also see that in where our strategy is headed next. To kick off the next five-year enterprise strategy for VSP, this year HR is tasked with leading a “people” essential–a key focus for HR’s annual strategic plan for 2026. We actually view this as a multi-year approach given the work is centered on empowering our people and upskilling our workforce, thereby ensuring preparedness to deliver on the organization’s goals over the next five years. Given the amount of integration across the organization, that is not separate from business performance. It is part of what makes business readiness possible.