In this episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Harnois sits down with Theresa Hilsen, Director of Leadership Enablement & Communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment — the company behind PlayStation.

Theresa has spent her career inside highly matrixed, technical organizations, acting as a trusted partner to senior executives through transformation, culture shifts, leadership development, and organizational change.

From enabling leaders to become “multipliers,” to aligning culture with lived values, to elevating technical teams beyond linear thinking — this episode goes deep into the realities of transformation inside complex environments.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Transformational Leadership

00:28 – No fluff: frameworks, stories, results

00:58 – Meet Theresa Hilsen, Director at PlayStation

01:27 – Transformation, technical leaders & failing fast

01:53 – Espoused vs. lived values

02:21 – Leadership enablement in a matrixed business

02:47 – Evolving from HR to embedded business partner

03:12 – Understanding what keeps leaders up at night

03:37 – Changing leadership behavior and culture

04:18 – Working inside highly technical environments

04:51 – The HR seat at the table & shifting the model

05:17 – Becoming a true partner to senior executives

05:45 – Leadership whisperer role explained

06:20 – Translating engineering thinking to people impact

07:00 – Humanizing transformation

07:35 – New leader sessions: structure & purpose

08:29 – What keeps the leader up at night?

09:34 – Giving teams a voice & building agreements

10:30 – Simplicity & alignment accelerate transformation

11:17 – Current state vs desired state

12:11 – Failing fast: are you rewarding it?

12:47 – Culture, reactions, and psychological safety

13:11 – Divergence between what we say and what we do

13:59 – Trust, alignment and accountability

14:46 – The coaching mirror

15:33 – Wins: alignment, pace & transformation success

16:23 – Organizational shifts and technology change

17:00 – Back row to front: pushing and cheering

17:59 – People-first leadership at Sony

18:29 – Working for leaders who believe in people

19:17 – Senior VP Paul Walsh and lived values

19:46 – Up-leveling technical leaders

20:14 – Beyond training: how to stretch teams

20:50 – Liz Wiseman’s multipliers & the rubber band

21:37 – Stretching beyond perceived limits

22:16 – The reality of what’s possible

22:43 – Psychology, energy & startups

23:05 – Leaders who think technically & humanizing it

24:24 – Navy SEAL mindset: seven more reps

25:16 – Career foundation & path to Sony

26:14 – Technical leaders + human perspective

27:02 – Best advice she didn’t take

27:50 – Impact is greater than making the boss look good

28:42 – Prioritizing business needs

29:22 – Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn

29:40 – Closing & invitation to subscribe

30:06 – Like, subscribe, review & share

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