About this episode

Susan Lintonsmith discusses her leadership journey and the importance of enterprise thinking and alignment in organizations.

Susan Lintonsmith has built a career by saying yes to opportunities that stretched her leadership. From marketing roles at Pizza Hut and Coca-Cola to leading Quiznos as CEO and now serving as President and CEO of Regis Corporation, her journey reflects a commitment to learning, enterprise thinking, and leading through change. Along the way, she has also served on multiple boards, bringing a broad perspective to leadership across industries. One lesson is clear: if you want the next role, start leading like you're already in it. It's easier to ask for the marker when you've already been sketching the future. Episode Takeaways: Think beyond your function. Enterprise leaders stand out by understanding how decisions ripple across the entire business, not just their own department. Silos might keep your inbox organized, but they rarely grow great companies. Alignment requires clarity, not just agreement. Teams move faster when everyone understands the why, their role, and how progress will be measured. Getting in the boat is agreement. Picking up the oar is alignment. Create a culture where respectful challenge is expected. Strong leaders invite pushback, reward curiosity, and make it…

People in this episode

Host: Julie Williamson

Guest: Susan Lintonsmith

Topics covered

• leadership
• career development
• organizational culture
• enterprise thinking
• communication
• change management

Keywords

• leadership
• career
• alignment
• communication
• organizational culture
• enterprise leaders
• change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Regis Corporation, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, Quiznos

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