Welcome to the Inspirational Leaders Series, a collection of short interviews with sharp, impactful leaders I know and respect—because the business world needs more refreshing people like them.
Meet Talli Pinhasi, Lead Director of Enterprise Design at CVS Health. With over two decades of experience across design, business strategy, and tech innovation, she’s learned a lot about leadership. I had the pleasure of working alongside her at Designit, and what I remember most about Talli was how she made people feel: cared for, challenged, and part of something bigger. In this interview, she shares why leadership is like an empty notebook and some key insights she would put in hers.
WHAT’S AN OBJECT THAT SYMBOLIZES YOUR LEADERSHIP APPROACH?
A beautifully designed empty notebook. We all need the right conditions to create. My role as a leader is to provide the conditions, and encouragement for people to do their own thing. I like to think that if I give them these things, they would be inclined to share the content of their notebook with me, and maybe even ask for feedback. And I’m always curious and delighted to see how different, yet wonderful, the content is.
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU ONCE OVERLOOKED ABOUT LEADERSHIP THAT YOU NOW FIND IMPORTANT?
The journey of leadership has been long and extremely diverse for me—from the scouts through the military, from creative agencies, and onto corporate America. I have learned so much from each experience, and there are a few core realizations.
First, I tried to mold myself to the situation for much of this path, but I later realized that just doesn’t work. Staying authentic to who I am, what my value system is, and what I believe to be right is critical. As soon as I can label my core — for better or worse — I am able to breathe easy and lead authentically.
Second, I’ve learned that giving feedback is much like design work. You have to understand the persona receiving the feedback and tailor it to fit. If you don’t, you might as well not give it at all because it can easily be misunderstood or, worse, hurtful. There is a delicate balance between practicality and aspiration. As a leader, you must tread lightly to understand this line.
WHAT’S THE HIGHEST VALUE THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR TEAM?
The way I see it, as a leader, I am placed at the bottom of an upside-down pyramid. My role is to enable those above me. As such, the highest value that I can provide is listening carefully and getting people to recognize how unique they are (individually and as a team), and then advocating for my team’s aspirations, opinions, and work.
WHAT LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE WOULD YOU LIKE TO REPEAT?
Collaborate with people who challenge me to be more. Be different. Have new rather than repeated experiences.
And hire people out of school; see them grow to the point where they seldom need me.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT INSPIRING CREATIVITY IN TEAMS?
I used to think that creativity requires a lack of constraints. I don’t believe that anymore. I think that constraints stretch the role of creativity and allow people to challenge themselves.
