Leading with Trust and Purpose: Michael Sanderson, PE, PTOE

Leading with Trust and Purpose: Michael Sanderson, PE, PTOE

From Transportation Radio by Bernie Wagenblast

January 27, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Michael Sanderson discusses his leadership philosophy and the importance of trust and vision in building strong teams.

Michael Sanderson—CEO of Sanbell and 2018 ITE International President—shares how his “people first” philosophy has shaped his career and his approach to building strong teams on this episode of ITE Talks Transportation. He explains that leadership in technical fields isn’t about command-and-control, but about setting a clear vision, building culture, and trusting experts to deliver. Sanderson emphasizes that leadership is learned through practice, and encourages young professionals to say yes...

People in this episode

Host: Bernie Wagenblast

Guest: Michael Sanderson

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • team building
  • technical fields
  • people first philosophy
  • young professionals

Keywords

  • leadership
  • trust
  • team building
  • technical leadership
  • young professionals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sanbell, ITE, ITE Talks Transportation

More episodes of Transportation Radio

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Transportation Radio podcast page.