Have you ever taken on a role where you have NO experience in the functional jobs of the people reporting to you? As a change catalyst, Kathryn Robinson found herself seeking out these positions and often in industries that lacked gender diversity such as Turner Broadcasting and Cisco Systems. She predictably faced a tremendous amount of resistance as many leaders do when catalyzing change. Her response? Be an authentic listener…

In one vulnerable disclosure Kathryn explains a time when her greatest strength became an overbearing liability. Painful at times, the experiences molded Kathryn throughout her career to become an expert at translating across teams and getting them to work well together.

She learned that sometimes we have to choose, “Do I need to be RIGHT or do I want to be EFFECTIVE”. In leadership, context matters.