Tiny Experiments in Leadership Thinking with Winnie da Silva
Mon Dec 29 2025
“Leadership growth doesn’t have to come from huge reinventions. Often, it comes from tiny experiments.”
Busyness has a sneaky way of convincing us that it equals importance - and for a long time, I let that idea drive how I measured my value as a leader. In this bonus episode, I’m sharing what happened when I decided to interrupt that pattern with one small, intentional experiment. No grand strategy. No perfectly mapped plan. Just 45 minutes a week to think - really think - and see what surfaced.
You’ll hear me discuss:
How I realized I was buying into the belief that my leadership value is tied to productivityWhy I committed to a short, weekly strategic thinking practice and what I hoped it might changeHow strange and uncomfortable it felt at first to sit with no agenda, no screen, and no clear outcomeWhy even 30 minutes of protected thinking time turned out to be more than enoughHow rest, reflection, and permission played a bigger role than I expectedWhat I noticed about my thinking carrying over and deepening between sessionsWhy sticking to pen and paper helped me trust my own thinking instead of outsourcing itHow one meaningful conversation with a trusted colleague reshaped my strategic clarityWhy strategic thinking doesn’t have to be a solo activity to be effectiveWhat consistency, accountability, and keeping the bar low actually made possible
Resources
Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn | On the Web | Substack | YouTube | Email - winnie@winnifred.org
More
“Leadership growth doesn’t have to come from huge reinventions. Often, it comes from tiny experiments.” Busyness has a sneaky way of convincing us that it equals importance - and for a long time, I let that idea drive how I measured my value as a leader. In this bonus episode, I’m sharing what happened when I decided to interrupt that pattern with one small, intentional experiment. No grand strategy. No perfectly mapped plan. Just 45 minutes a week to think - really think - and see what surfaced. You’ll hear me discuss: How I realized I was buying into the belief that my leadership value is tied to productivityWhy I committed to a short, weekly strategic thinking practice and what I hoped it might changeHow strange and uncomfortable it felt at first to sit with no agenda, no screen, and no clear outcomeWhy even 30 minutes of protected thinking time turned out to be more than enoughHow rest, reflection, and permission played a bigger role than I expectedWhat I noticed about my thinking carrying over and deepening between sessionsWhy sticking to pen and paper helped me trust my own thinking instead of outsourcing itHow one meaningful conversation with a trusted colleague reshaped my strategic clarityWhy strategic thinking doesn’t have to be a solo activity to be effectiveWhat consistency, accountability, and keeping the bar low actually made possible Resources Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn | On the Web | Substack | YouTube | Email - winnie@winnifred.org