Why Minette Norman Believes Real Leadership Starts with Humanity, Not Hierarchy

What does leadership look like when hierarchy takes a back seat to humanity?

That’s the question Minette Norman (see her bio below) has spent her career answering. As the former Vice President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk, she led more than 3,500 engineers across the globe, proving that empathy, trust, and courage can drive performance just as powerfully as process and technology. Today, as a consultant, speaker, and author, Minette helps leaders create environments where people feel safe to speak up, collaborate, and innovate.

In this conversation, Minette and I explore:

• Why emotions are data and how leaders can use that insight to make better decisions.

• The challenges and rewards of leading large, distributed teams.

• How her book, The Psychological Safety Playbook, equips leaders to build trust and openness.

• The lessons behind her second book, The Boldly Inclusive Leader.

• Why the future of leadership depends on listening, not managing.

Minette’s perspective is candid, insightful, and deeply practical. She reminds us that the strongest leaders don’t rely on hierarchy; they rely on humanity, courage, and connection.

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About Minette: Minette Norman is an author, speaker, and leadership consultant who previously spent decades leading global technical teams in the software industry. She has extensive experience leading internationally distributed teams and believes that when groups embrace diversity in all its forms, breakthroughs emerge, and innovation accelerates. Her most recent position before starting her consultancy was as Vice President of Engineering Practice at Autodesk. Responsible for influencing more than 3,500 engineers around the globe, she focused on state-of-the-art engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative and inclusive culture. 

Minette is a keynote speaker on inclusive leadership, psychological safety, collaborative teams, and empathy. Named in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco Business Times and as “Business Role Model of the Year” in the 2018 Women in IT/Silicon Valley Awards, Minette is a recognized leader with a unique perspective. Minette is the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and the co-author of The Psychological Safety Playbook.