Episode #10: Leadership in Action with Toni Townes-Whitley

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For our final episode, Laurie sits down with Toni Townes-Whitley as she celebrates her one-year anniversary as the CEO of SAIC, a top tier fortune 500 company. Toni is one of only two black women running a fortune 500. How did she evolve her leadership style and skills to rise to the top? Learn with Laurie as she and Toni talk about core leadership values and how to put them into practice.

Key Takeaways

• Sticking to Your Core Values: Looking internally to establish what matters to you will give you a strong foundation to turn back to as a leader. Forming relationships and decisions on these values will attract others to your team who share your goals. Although there may be pressure to concede some of your values, staying true to yourself will help you achieve success in the long run.
• Becoming More Decisive: Being confident in your decisions will secure the trust of others in your leadership even if you would prefer to take more time to deliberate before deciding. Chasing perfectionism in your decision making fosters indecision which may negatively impact your image as a leader.
• Setting Boundaries Will Help You Succeed: Setting personal boundaries in the professional environment will allow you to do your job to the best of your ability. Identifying when boundaries need to be set and taking the often uncomfortable steps to enact them will benefit you as a leader and demonstrate the importance of communication to your team.
• The Importance of Building a Team: Having individuals around you that inspire you will not only bolster your confidence as a leader but will also pave your way to success. Understanding where individuals are in their career journey will help you evaluate what they will bring to your team and help them grow on their journey. Having a high performing team with strong longevity will help your business in the long run.

Supporting Resources

1. On Having Values as a CEO,  Patrick Lencioni, 2002
2. The Influence of Core Values, Vistage Staff, 2012
3. The Importance of Boundaries as a CEO, Jenn Lofrgren, 2021
4. Benefits of Setting Boundaries, Your CEO Buddy, 2024
5. How to Improve Decision Making Skills, Catherine Cote, 2024
6. How to Make Decisions Faster, Martin Moore, 2022
7. Combatting Indecision, John Mattone, 2022
8. Why Setting Boundaries is Important, Kurt Mueller, 2024
9. The Importance of Staying True to Yourself, Liesbeth van der Linden, 2023

Relevant Inspiring Women Episodes

• Ep 1: Let’s get Started! Those Big Decisions are Never Easy with Chelsea Pagua
• Ep 138:  Chelsea Clinton IS an Inspiring Woman
• Ep 12: Stay in the Game. How being curious and treating every assignment as an opportunity led Donna Thompson to success.