Episode #48: What Happens When Leaders Dare to Dream Out Loud? cover art

Episode #48: What Happens When Leaders Dare to Dream Out Loud?

Episode #48: What Happens When Leaders Dare to Dream Out Loud?

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 What if leadership wasn’t about control, but about creating the conditions for freedom and dreaming out loud—for yourself, your team, and the next generation? In this powerful and refreshingly human episode, Sonya Arriola, Chief of Staff at Bellarmine College Prep, joins Dan Winter and Lynette Winter to explore what it really takes to lead with intention, integrity, and imagination. From her roots as a first-gen, low-income daughter of Mexican immigrants to her 20-year journey in Jesuit education, Sonya brings a rare blend of grit, grace, and systems thinking. She shares how her mother’s denied dream of an education became the fire behind her own leadership—and how freedom, relationships, and long-term vision fuel everything from hiring to hard conversations. Whether you're navigating urgency, building culture, or trying to scale impact without losing the best of who you are, Sonya’s story and insights will stick with you. Key Moments You’ll Want to Hear: 01:43 – The 3 questions that shaped a 20-year leadership journey rooted in resilience and service. 03:31 – What actually attracts top talent that every leader should know. 06:09 – “It’s not about me”: A leadership mindset that transforms teams and culture. 08:42 – How to design a team culture built on curiosity, different perspectives, and dreaming out loud together. 11:56 – The one thing you must establish before a hard conversation. (Hint: It’s not rules or expectations—it’s deeper.) 15:03 – How to cut through urgency and get to the heart of what matters. 20:03 – The unexpected power move? Believing in the inherent goodness of others. Here’s what happens when you lead that way. 21:45 – Want to unlock your team’s creativity? Start with this one question to invite possibility in an instant. 25:10 – Leading through learning: Sonya shares her practices for staying teachable, listening deeply, and aligning intent with impact. 28:38 – Why rethinking your timeline may be the key to better outcomes. 33:55 – Don’t wait for the meeting: Why relationship-building before going to the room changes everything in the room. 36:21 – “Everything has a solution.” The leadership lesson Sonya learned from her mother—and now lives by with her team. 38:58 – Urgency looks different to everyone—great leaders know how to meet it. 42:09 – Why supporting the whole person drives better performance. 45:25 – Want to deepen relationships on your team? Sonya offers a fresh lens—and the questions that help people feel truly heard. My mother always said, “Everything has a solution…let's find it together.” Ready to shift from pressure to purpose? Tap into Sonya Arriola’s powerful leadership story—and discover how to build trust, navigate urgency, and design a team culture rooted in freedom, integrity, and impact. 🎧 Listen now. About Sonya Arriola Sonya Arriola is currently serving as the Chief of Staff at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA. A transformational leader who is deeply committed to education, she enjoys building relationships as well as facilitating institutional change that allows organizations to live out their missions more fully. You can find her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonya-cotero-arriola-19ab46a0/ About the Book Growing Groups Into Teams: How do you turn a group of individuals into a highly effective, productive team? Growing Groups Into Teams is an unusually useful book written by a team of generative consultants and coaches who have helped thousands of groups become effective teams. Through real-life stories combined with pragmatic advice, this book strengthens your ability to see what’s needed and take effective action: What two promises turn a group into a team. How to engage people to make those promises. How to invite responsibility and accountability. How to include and inspire people across differences. How to build and rebuild trust, and more! Regardless of how productive your teams are today, the insights in this book will help you grow to the next level to drive your business or organization forward. Order your copy today! Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Groups-into-Teams-Real-life-ebook/dp/B0CJLC23VS Order directly: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?l8SxF4Aexn9gq08iz7jFBbwutleujrftoZ2wAOFzCVH If you're looking to expand your leadership influence, shift your results, and develop a highly engaged, accountable team, we’d love to talk to you. Schedule a conversation with an Altus Team Member here: https://calendly.com/prollin-altusgrowth/zoom-video-30-min Follow us on social media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altus-growth-partners https://www.facebook.com/AltusGrowth https://www.instagram.com/altusgrowthpartners/ Keywords: #Leadership #TeamDevelopment #TeamBuilding #BellarmineCollegePrep #WorkplaceCulture #ComplementaryLeadership #Trust #Communication #Relationships

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