Are you ready to transform your leadership style and fuel your team's potential? Suits & Sneakers is your go-to podcast for sage advice and candid conversations with seasoned leaders from diverse backgrounds. Perhaps you feel ready to step into a people-leader role and are worried that you won’t have what it takes. Or it could be that you have been managing a team for a while and still feel like you’re underwater. If that’s you, I’m glad you’re here!

I'm your host, Carrie Tuttle, and together with my guests, we dive deep into the secrets of team engagement, motivation, and effective performance management. I started this podcast with you in mind, because I was given the privilege to lead at 27 years old and quickly realized there was a lot I didn’t know. No training was provided then, but I sought out mentors over time. Good ones can be hard to find, so I started this podcast in the spirit of ‘virtual’ mentorship.

In each episode, you’ll hear from leaders who’ve walked the walk – from corporate strategists and technical leaders to creative business owners. They share their stories, challenges (battle scars!), and the strategies they've used to create dynamic, motivated teams that deliver real results.

Unlock Team Creativity: Learn how leaders foster environments where diverse thoughts and backgrounds come together to drive innovation. Leaders share stories of how they tap into the strengths of their team members to assign the best person to projects and roles. They talk about respecting different communication styles to maximize each person’s ability to contribute.

Embrace Authentic Leadership: Discover how these experienced leaders use transparency and genuine communication to steer their team through challenges. Even if you get advice telling you to behave a certain way, the interviews highlight examples where letting their true feelings and personality show through, deepened their connection to their team and fostered more loyalty. They reveal the importance of adaptability in leadership.

Overcome Self-Doubt: Tackle the 'self-doubt cloak' with advice from seasoned professionals who discuss the importance of influencing without formal authority. They demonstrate the power of stepping up and progressing projects and ideas, regardless of your role. This positions you well to take on more challenges and formal management responsibilities. At the end of the day, you need to believe in yourself. It helps to know these leaders felt fear too, and faced it head-on.

Foster an Engaged Team Culture: We'll discuss actionable strategies for cultivating a culture where every team member feels valued, motivated, and empowered. Hear from leaders who share how to create safe spaces for feedback and growth. They talk about the importance of including the team in planning, and then developing plan B, C, D,… to ensure team resilience and continuity.