Brave Feminine Leadership · 2026-06-11 · 17 min
There's a question sitting underneath a lot of leadership conversations right now, one that most people aren't saying out loud: am I actually adding value to what matters - or am I just busy? Felecia Pryor received a piece of feedback early in her career that stung: don't play in the garden when the house is on fire. More than any other conversation in the CPO series, this line has resonated and I think it might be the most important question any executive can ask of themselves right now. Not in a performance review. Not in a strategy session. Right now, today, looking honestly at where your time and thinking actually goes. This episode is my reflection on the Shaping the Future CPO series - six conversations with some of the most senior people leaders. I let the insights settle for several months before coming back to them. What rose to the surface wasn't about HR frameworks or people strategy in the traditional sense. It was about what it actually takes to be at the centre of strategic decisions rather than downstream of them. And it applies far beyond the CPO role.
#247 Penny Locaso: AI Was Meant to Do the Dishes. We Gave It the Painting Too.72 / 100#245 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Shomaice Zowghi: Be in the Room Where It Happens#244 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Felecia Pryor: Don't Play in the Garden When the House is on Fire#243 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Anu Villarosa: Curious by Design#242 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Damian Zahra: The Gift of Feedback