Grow Strong Leaders Podcast
I’m fascinated by what it takes for leaders to live their values consistently, especially when it’s hard.
On the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast, I have candid conversations with senior executives who are working to sustain principled leadership at scale inside complex organizations. We talk about how values are reinforced through leadership capability, organizational systems, and the everyday decisions leaders make.
Our discussions also explore what gets tested when pressure rises—and the personal guardrails leaders rely on to stay aligned.
This podcast is for leaders who believe values should guide real decisions, not just appear on the wall.
Grow Strong Leaders Podcast
377: How Medtronic Turns Values Into Action
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What happens when doing the right thing costs money, creates tension, or slows results? Tara Shewchuk, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Privacy, Integrity, and Compliance Officer at Medtronic, pulls back the curtain on what ethical leadership actually looks like inside a global company where decisions can impact millions of lives. You’ll hear how leaders navigate pressure, disagreement, and uncertainty while staying grounded in values that guide both business and patient care.
Tara shares powerful real-world examples of principled leadership in action, including Medtronic’s decision to open source ventilator technology during the pandemic, the systems they use to strengthen speak-up culture across global teams, and the daily leadership behaviors that build trust over time. This conversation goes far beyond compliance and policies. It’s about how leaders create cultures where integrity becomes part of how people think, decide, and act every day.
You’ll discover:
- Why ethical culture must be intentionally built every day
- How leaders create safety for people to speak up
- What Medtronic did when profit conflicted with patient care
- How ethics circles strengthen decision-making across teams
- Why authenticity and vulnerability make leaders stronger
Connect with Tara Shewchuk on Social Media
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Tara’s employer, Medtronic
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