Susan Lintonsmith has built a career by saying yes to opportunities that stretched her leadership. From marketing roles at Pizza Hut and Coca-Cola to leading Quiznos as CEO and now serving as President and CEO of Regis Corporation, her journey reflects a commitment to learning, enterprise thinking, and leading through change. Along the way, she has also served on multiple boards, bringing a broad perspective to leadership across industries. One lesson is clear: if you want the next role, start leading like you're already in it. It's easier to ask for the marker when you've already been sketching the future.

Episode Takeaways:

• Think beyond your function. Enterprise leaders stand out by understanding how decisions ripple across the entire business, not just their own department. Silos might keep your inbox organized, but they rarely grow great companies.
• Alignment requires clarity, not just agreement. Teams move faster when everyone understands the why, their role, and how progress will be measured. Getting in the boat is agreement. Picking up the oar is alignment.
• Create a culture where respectful challenge is expected. Strong leaders invite pushback, reward curiosity, and make it safe for people to question ideas in the room, not after the meeting in the hallway.
• Look for the real source of resistance. What appears to be reluctance is often a communication gap or an operational concern. Leaders who stay curious uncover the invisible barriers instead of assuming people simply dislike change.
• Courage starts with the leader. Alignment grows when leaders model openness, ask thoughtful questions, encourage healthy debate, and build an environment where the best ideas win, regardless of whose idea they were.

Susan's perspective reinforces that leadership is less about having every answer and more about creating the conditions for better conversations. Enterprise leaders who make the invisible visible, stay curious, and invite honest dialogue build stronger alignment and achieve results that no single function can deliver alone. The work is not always easy, but as Susan reminds us, progress usually starts with someone willing to pick up the marker.

To connect with Susan Lintonsmith outside of this episode, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

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Dr. Julie Williamson wrote the book on how to Make HOW Matter. After working with hundreds of executives and leadership teams at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, she created the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™ to bring the power of leadership alignment to more leaders at every level.

Grounded in both real-world business experience and social science, this virtual, self-paced program helps you turn the principles of Make HOW Matter into practical leadership skills you can use every day. Whether you’re a small business owner, leading a division, or simply looking to increase your influence and drive better results, you’ll learn how to close the gap between agreement and true alignment, and turn priorities into action. Ready to make HOW matter? Explore the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results