In this insightful conversation, Rosa Leal shares her inspiring journey from designing NASCAR alternators to leading commercial product strategy and customer experience at Rheem. With over 20 patents and a passion for innovation, Rosa reflects on how empathy, listening, and collaboration have shaped her leadership approach across engineering and product development.

She dives into the complexity of designing for layered customer ecosystems, the importance of staying ahead of regulatory shifts, and how her experience as an immigrant and non-native English speaker sharpened her ability to truly hear customer needs. Rosa also unpacks the role of product management in aligning internal teams, managing risk through stage-gate processes, and fostering a culture where ideas and challenges are welcomed. This episode is a blueprint for leaders who want to drive innovation without sacrificing humility or humanity.

Additional Resources:

Strategic Leader | Engineer | Patent Holder | Selected as one of the 2023 Top Women in HVAC and Engineered Systems's 2023 20 to Watch: Women in HVAC

Attend Unleashing Leaders University!

Learn more about Unleashing Leaders

Follow Unleashing Leaders on LinkedIn

Connect with Lee on LinkedIn

Follow Unleashing Leaders on Facebook

Follow Unleashing Leaders on Instagram

Key Takeaways:

• Innovation starts with truly listening to customers.
• Product strategy succeeds when cross-functional teams align early.
• Empathy, kindness, and clarity drive stronger leadership.
• Regulatory shifts are opportunities, not obstacles.
• Building trust enables open, risk-aware innovation.