Imagining the future of leadership
And an index of everything I've created (so far)
👋 Hello! This is Suzan. I write about organizational leadership and interview leaders from tech companies like Etsy, Github, Google, Netflix, and Spotify who share their insights on how they overcame a challenge.
I had a family emergency last week so I had to take an unexpected break. I’m happy to be back, sharing my vision of leadership along with everything that I’ve written so far about the future I imagine.
Are you a leader looking for support? I’ve just opened a spot in my coaching practice. Learn more.
After leaving my COO role I was burned out. I wasn’t sure what was next. I knew leaders needed support but I was tired of the way we talk about leaders in limited stereotypical ways — as singular, as strong, as heroes (or villains). I didn’t find these narratives accurate or helpful. They didn’t describe the dilemmas my fellow leaders and I found ourselves navigating.
I found the focus on individual leadership development important but not sufficient. Well-functioning businesses require collaboration across the entire entity. This means leaders need to think and behave organizationally, requiring a new mindset and skillset. I found this wasn’t talked about enough.
The idea of shifting the narrative was exciting but it would take energy (and maybe some bravery) to challenge traditional notions. Was I ready?
After months of conversations with leaders, industry friends and myself, I decided to go back into leadership development. I was ready to change the narrative. So, I created Constellary.
My work is designed around four pillars:
Leadership as a collective rather than individual activity
The complexity and nuance of leadership
Navigating human and organizational systems
Challenge narratives about what leaders look like and who gets to be one
Essays
These essays explore organizational leadership, the complexity of leading, managing change, and shaping organizational culture. Going forward, I plan to write more about leadership at different business phases and building productive leadership teams.
How do I know if I need to delegate more?
Misconceptions about influence
Taking responsibility without sliding into shame
Leading through the neutral zone
Nine meditations on group norms
Let's be more precise with our language
“I’m not getting enough feedback”
The secret stabilizing force on your team
New leaders: this is your first deliverable
An incomplete list of org smells
The disorientation new leaders face
Five encouraging trends in leadership
Three philosophies that shaped me
The best of Suzan’s Fieldnotes
A day in the life of a leadership coach
Thinking of yourself as an experience designer
You don’t have to hustle harder
The leadership question I dread most
30 observations about leadership
What the great resignation means for leaders
Navigating horizontal relationships
Six conversations that stuck with me
The double edged sword of grit
Knowing when you’ve done enough
The complaint department never closes
Leader Interviews
As a COO, I found leadership quite different from the way it’s often portrayed in the media. I started the leader interview series to illustrate what it’s really like to lead by sharing stories of how leaders overcame a challenge. I hope to narrow the gap between what we think leadership is and what it really is. I also wanted to counteract narratives about what leaders look like. I wanted to show the variety of ways leaders look and act. So far I’ve interviewed 55 leaders. My goal is 100.
2022
Leading a FinTech Startup Pre-Launch - Maria Campbell
Pivoting During a Pandemic - Rob Smith
Being a First Time Exec at an Early Stage Startup - Jean Hsu
Transforming a 300 year-old Organization in Four Weeks - Matt Stutely
Being Open and Vulnerable as a CEO - Beck Sydow
Creating a New Program at a High Profile Scaling Startup - Mindaugas Petrutis
Helping Tech Companies Look Like the World - Sidney Miller
Finding Balance in the Midst of Constant Change - Ashley Hunsberger
Leading Engineers at a Remote-First Scaling Startup - Kainar Kamalov
Being a First Time CEO at a Startup in a Highly Regulated Industry - David Jarvis
Being an Accidental Startup CEO - Lilly Chen
Leading a Company Through Acquisition - Jacob and Zac Smith
Leading a Team of Internal & Open Source Software Engineers - Madleina Scheidegger
Leading While Managing a Chronic Health Condition - Dizzy Smith
Overcoming Leader Burnout - Vaidehi Joshi
Being a Startup CEO as a Non-Founder - Henrik Mattson
From VP of People to COO - Jessica Zwaan
How a Leader Made the Interview Process More Collaborative - Angela Riggs
Being an Under-represented Voice in the CTO Chair - Tramale Turner
Building Trust as a First-Time VP at a New Company - Michael Stahnke
Being the First People Leader at the Company - Christie Williams
Leading a Startup While Navigating Personal Strife - Kirk Fernandes
A First-Time CEO Navigates a Downturn - Aline Lerner
Starting a Family and a Company at the Same Time - Natasha Vernier
A Blind CEO on a Mission to Help Companies Prioritize Disability Inclusion - Johm Samuel
From Startup CEO to Investor - Ellen Chisa
A CEO Pivots From Events to Digital Publishing - Ruth Yarnit
2023
Finding Balance With the Weight of Being a Product Leader - Lauren Nagel
A Leader Overcomes Burnout By Taking a Career Pivot - IBK Ajila
Leading an Engineering Team Without Having Been an Engineer - Jessica Darensbourg
From Founder & CEO to Engineering Director at HashiCorp - Marty Haught
Being an Interim Leader During Times of Change - Diane Scarborough
Navigating Leadership During a Global Pandemic and a House Burning Down - Jenn Clevenger
Taking Parental Leave as a CEO - David Jarvis
From EM to Founder and VP of Engineering - Ana Rosas
Navigating Culture in a Scaling Startup - Michelle O'Connor
Creating a Culture Where All Voices are Included - Shweta Saraf
Being a Tech Lead With a Chronic Medical Condition - Kristen Foster-Marks
Navigating the Director Sandwich - Sonal Mehta
Helping Yourself and Others Through Burnout - Anjuan Simmons
Leading Through Multiple Reorgs - Allison McMillan
From Startup Founder to Large Media Company VP of Engineering - David Yee
A Quick Transition from Program Director to Startup CEO - Mindaugas Petrutis
Being CTO While Navigating a Disability - Meri Williams
Leading Global Initiatives Using a Data-Informed Approach - Sheree Atcheson
Leading Product From Revenue Decline to Successful Exit - Kelly Port
Building and Leading Teams Without Having Functional Expertise - Edwina Johnson
Scaling Decision-Making at a Fintech Startup - James Trunk
I hope this is a resource you use on your leadership journey so you never feel alone.
Thank you for being part of this community. If we haven’t met yet, please say hi in the comments. I’d love to hear what ideas or stories most resonated!