Episodes

When you hear the word “hospitality,” do you think of it as one of leadership tools? In this episode, Winnie da Silva explores the crucial role of hospitality in leadership. She shares personal experiences that highlight the power of hospitality and discusses how it can transform leadership practices. By drawing on examples from industry experts, she illustrates how integrating hospitality into leadership strategies can foster inclusivity and empowerment within organizations. Additionally, she e...

What impact does embracing leaderless teams have on organizational dynamics and individual leadership roles? In this episode, Mark Raheja, the founder and CEO of Plural, delves into the concept of leaderless teams and the transformative effects they can have on organizations. Winnie and Mark explore the interconnectedness of systems, people, and relationships within an organization, emphasizing the importance of curiosity, humility, and intentionality in navigating the shift towards more empower...

Powerful insights often arise when leaders question the traditional norms of leadership. In this episode, we delve into the concept of leaderless teams and explore the shift from traditional to non-traditional leadership approaches. Join host Winnie da Silva as she engages in a transformative conversation with Dr. Debra France, an expert in organizational practices and leader behaviors that foster innovation. How can leaders balance power over and power with their teams? Winnie and Debra uncover...

In this podcast episode, Winnie da Silva discusses this month’s theme of leaderless teams. She explores the evolution of leadership from ancient times to the modern era, challenging traditional notions and embracing collaborative, human-centered approaches. Winnie shares how her guests encourage leaders to empower their teams so they can take a hands-off approach. In an era of rapid growth and exponential complexity, it may be time for a significant shift in how leaders lead. Leadership Ownersh...

Today’s episode is a special one. You’ve heard all the talk about the Immunity to Change model, and you’re about to see it in action. Returning guest, Deb Helsing, coaches another returning guest, Anthony Cheong, using the model. You'll learn how to navigate challenging conversations with senior executives, explore hidden assumptions that may be hindering your effectiveness, and gain insights on clarifying and aligning your role in leadership interactions. Immunity to Change Model: The Immunity...

In this episode, Winnie da Silva is joined by Dr. Deborah Helsing, and they discuss how the concept of Immunity to Change helps individuals uncover their resistance to change and explore their fears and assumptions. By following the steps outlined in the Immunity to Change model, individuals can challenge their assumptions, collect data, and experiment with new behaviors to overcome their resistance and achieve personal growth. Immunity to Change Concept: The concept of Immunity to Change explo...

Are you prepared to commit to leading the long game of organizational change? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, Winnie da Silva is joined by Anthony Cheong, Executive Director and Global Head of HR Operations for Boston Consulting Group, to discuss what it takes to lead change. From emotional intelligence to stakeholder engagement, driving transformation takes curiosity, resilience, and a compelling narrative to rally around. Challenges of Driving Change: Leading chang...

What does it take for leaders to successfully navigate large-scale, complex change? In this episode, Winnie da Silva explores the concept of change through the lens of systems thinking, and shares the stages leaders go through during periods of great transition. She discusses the essential ingredients of leadership and provides insights from industry experts on embracing transformative change. Importance of Change: Change is a gift of grace that offers the possibility for growth and transformat...

In this episode, you'll learn key strategies for effective talent acquisition from organizational psychologist Tom Skiba, VP of Talent Strategy at Redesign Health. Discover how to set a high bar for hiring, challenge candidates with job-relevant tasks, and create a vision for roles that inspire trust and success in your team. Importance of Trust in Leadership: Trust in leadership is crucial for employees to feel secure and valued in the workplace. Leaders need to provide confirmation and recogn...

Powerful insights often occur when you least expect them. But what does it take to become a successful leader, especially in high-growth companies? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, host Winnie Da Silva delves into this question with Larry Kutscher, Chairman of the Board at A Place for Mom. Through their conversation, Larry shares valuable insights and advice based on his extensive experience in leadership roles, shedding light on the importance of talent, culture, and ...

What happens when companies begin to take their talent for granted? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, Winnie da Silva delves into the critical topic of talent and its impact on organizational success. From the cautionary tale of Boeing's neglect of talent leading to catastrophic consequences, to the rise of transactional talent in today's fast-paced economy, she explores the importance of selecting and nurturing the right people. How can leaders strike a balance between...

Powerful insights often arise when exploring the intersection of imposter syndrome and organizational dynamics. In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, host Winnie Da Silva dives deep into imposter syndrome with Carolyn Herfurth, co-founder of the Imposter Syndrome Institute. They discuss the origins of imposter syndrome, its impact on individuals and organizations, and practical strategies to overcome it. Carolyn Herfurth, with a background in corporate sales and entreprene...

While imposter syndrome affects a wide variety of people, it can hit some groups harder than others. In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, you'll gain insights into how imposter syndrome can impact your career journey, especially as a woman and an immigrant. Learn practical strategies, like journaling and understanding your sphere of control, to overcome imposter syndrome and step into your power authentically. Dea Katel Fisher, the global head of internal communications a...

In this podcast episode, Winnie shares exactly how imposter syndrome can prevent you from enjoying your accomplishments, promotions, and accolades. She’ll help you identify and overcome imposter syndrome so you can feel like you truly earned and deserve your success. Episode Highlights: Imposter Syndrome Impact: Imposter syndrome can prevent you from enjoying your success and lead you to believe you are deceiving others. This mindset can hinder your ability to feel deserving of your accomplish...

Powerful insights often occur when you least expect them. On Transformative Leadership Conversations, they're at the heart of every episode. I’m your host, Winnie da Silva, and I’m driven by a passion to share the stories and strategies that shape effective leaders, teams, and organizations. Since launching this podcast in December of 2020, we've delved deep into the individual stories of leaders, uncovering what makes their leadership stand out and the challenges they've overcome. In Season 4...

“Leaders need to be sure that they're providing the right behavioral examples of what's needed to support the effectiveness of this team. And this is tricky because you're not always clear about what those things are.” - Peter Axelson In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter, wrap up their Team Development Masterclass by discussing nine universal best practices that apply across the Team Development Methodology, which was explored in the previous 10 episodes.  Episode Highlights: Role Mode...

“Interpersonal issues should be dealt with by the individuals, and team issues should be dealt with by the team collectively… I think most team leaders and team members would absolutely agree with that because, as you say, issues that pop up with individuals on the team, they're going to spill over into the team. And so what we're offering here is that early detection tool to prevent this very thing from happening.” - Winnie da Silva In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the importa...

“‘The conversation is the relationship.’ Is a quote I come back to often from the book Fierce Conversations from Susan Scott. What this means to me… is that the quality of our relationships depend on the quality of our conversations, which of course then directly impacts the quality of our work together as a team.” - Winnie da Silva In this episode, Winnie and Peter explore the concept of high-quality conversations and their importance within teams. They discuss the significant impact of conver...

“The word ‘culture’ gets thrown around a lot and sometimes it seems like people see it as something that teams don't have until they define it. However, every team has a culture, whether they recognize it or not.” - Winnie da Silva In this episode, Winnie and Peter explore the importance of developing an aspirational culture with supporting norms. They emphasize that teams already have a culture, but it may not be explicit or aligned with their goals. Developing a shared vision for the team's c...

“Clients have told me, ‘I wish my people would think more like a CEO’... And I think what my clients mean is that they want their people to see things more strategically, to take more ownership for not just their own responsibilities, but for that of the overall enterprise or the whole company.” - Winnie da Silva In this episode, Winnie and Peter explore the concept of a "shared responsibility mindset" in teams. They discuss how this mindset contributes to team effectiveness. They emphasize tha...

“What we find is that teams that have a process mindset, and what we mean by that is they're explicitly and deliberately focusing on building and refining lean processes, these teams tend to be more effective.” - Peter Axelson In this episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the importance of creating robust work processes for teams to enhance their effectiveness. They emphasize how this topic is interconnected with previous episodes, where they discussed business objectives and joint work. This episo...

“Every once in a while we discover a question that turns out to be particularly powerful in terms of the benefits that come from a team grappling with it. And so the question is this: ‘In order for this team to deliver on our business objectives this year, what is the high value, highly interdependent work that we must do together? ” - Peter Axelson In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the concept of "Joint Work" as a critical building block for developing effective teams. They emp...

“While many teams can figure this out on their own, some of them need help ensuring the objectives of the team are clear and aligned. What's important is that this is addressed very early on in the process.” - Winnie da Silva In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the importance of ensuring clarity and alignment on a team's shared objectives. They emphasize that these objectives are specific to the team and distinct from the business objectives of the company. Episode Highlights: T...

“We don't need to be best friends in order to have a sound working relationship. But you do need to know each other as people. … It doesn't take a great deal of effort to learn those kinds of things about people and the benefits can be pretty big.” - Peter Axelson “You really need a basic amount of trust in and respect for each other. While you definitely want to see other positive attributes in a relationship, these two, trust and respect, they are the absolute must haves. So everything else, ...