Her father called her into his office and asked one question: “What would happen if you were CEO tomorrow?”

Sabrina Parsons had an answer. “Great,” he told her. “You’re going to be CEO tomorrow.”

The title changed overnight. Earning the company’s trust did not. Sabrina took over Palo Alto Software, the company her father founded, and gave it a direction that was visibly hers: moving the business from boxed software to software as a service.

That meant changing the product, the economics, the talent, and eventually parts of the team. It also gave people something new to follow.

In this episode of The Executive, Sabrina and I talk about:

Asking for the future you want without turning it into an ultimatum

Replacing an inherited operating vision with one you genuinely own

Making the people decisions a transformation requires

Respecting the person without lowering the standard for the work

Never asking someone to do something you would refuse to do yourself

This is not a conversation about getting the title.

It is about what happens the morning after.rsation offers a practical and honest look at leadership beyond theory—focused on execution, ownership, and building something that lasts.

🔗 Resources mentioned

Palo Alto Software: https://www.paloalto.com

LivePlan (business planning tool): https://www.liveplan.com

Bplans (free business resources): https://www.bplans.com

🔗 Work with Dr. Benjamin Ritter
https://liveforyourselfconsulting.com