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.
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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