ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Driving lasting performance through people-first leadership and the discipline to keep pushing even when you’re winning.
What separates leaders who thrive in complexity from leaders who get trapped in it? Clarity and the courage to keep choosing it. In this episode, Tina sits down with Mike Mahoney, Chairman and CEO of Boston Scientific, for a candid conversation on leading at scale without losing speed or soul.
Mike shares how he filters signal from noise, sets future-back direction, and anchors teams on a small number of priorities that truly move the needle. They explore the operating model shifts that push decisions closer to the work, why bureaucracy seems to creep back, unless leaders fight it, and what “restless leadership” looks like when a company is already winning.
Mike also unpacks disciplined innovation, taking smart risks, knowing when to stop what won’t scale, and leading transparently through hard moments, including a defining COVID decision to protect people first. He closes with a simple truth: the most effective CEOs stay close to the trenches, accessible, learning fast, and human enough to hear what’s real.
Clarification (17:40): Mike misspoke on the temporary COVID-era pay adjustment. The organization shifted to a four-day paid week (not three) and kept it for one quarter (not 30 days). His larger point about protecting the business and preserving jobs stands.
