I began my career as a cultural anthropologist, studying change in Zimbabwe, Tibet, and the Middle East before transitioning into the world of technology and design. I moved into Silicon Valley’s tech startup scene, helping companies design better technologies for humans. I spent 20 years at IDEO, where I became one of the firm’s first female partners, leading global design research, systems change, and innovation strategy. I also founded IDEO U, an online learning platform that grew to over 200,000 paying students worldwide. Today, I work independently as an advisor and coach, helping organizations—including MIT, Microsoft, Apple, and Education Design Lab—navigate transformation, design impactful learning experiences, and lead with resilience.
Company: Suz Howard
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Suzanne Howard: At the heart of my work is a deep fascination with how people, organizations, and societies navigate change. I’ve spent my career exploring this—from studying large-scale social shifts as an anthropologist to designing human-centered innovations as a leader at IDEO. I now work with companies and nonprofits to help them embrace uncertainty, design for adaptability, and build the leadership capacity needed to thrive in complexity.
My focus areas include design strategy, digital learning, and leadership development, with a particular emphasis on organizations undergoing transformation. I help clients develop resilient teams, craft compelling learning experiences, and implement strategies that drive meaningful impact. Whether working with global corporations or early-stage startups, my approach is rooted in deep research, creative problem-solving, and the belief that real change happens at the intersection of systems, people, and bold ideas.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Suzanne Howard: When I was leading IDEO U, we faced two simultaneous crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and the cultural reckoning following George Floyd’s murder, which forced a deeper examination of racial equity—especially in the design world, which has traditionally been overwhelmingly white.
In moments like these, my approach is to slow down and truly listen. It’s tempting to rush toward solutions, but first, people need space to process. We made time for deep conversations, created opportunities for employees and learners to share their perspectives, and built connections across our community.
At the same time, leadership isn’t just about listening—it’s also about charting a clear path forward. We engaged external advisors to audit and improve our learning experiences, partnered with agencies to facilitate difficult conversations, and developed principles to guide our actions internally and externally. We also connected with other leaders across industries to exchange ideas and share best practices.
Through it all, I learned the importance of balancing openness with decisiveness. You have to acknowledge the uncertainty, bring people into the conversation, and then move forward with clarity.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Suzanne Howard: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that change moves at the speed of relationships. In moments of high ambition, I’ve sometimes pushed too fast, assuming that a strong vision and a good strategy were enough. But transformation—whether within an organization or in society—requires trust, alignment, and shared momentum.
I’ve had to slow down, bring people along, and recognize that sometimes failure is just feedback arriving in real time. The ability to pause, reflect, and adapt has been invaluable. I think of navigating ambiguity and change as moving through cycles of divergence—going wide, listening to lots of people, and coming up with a wide variety of ideas—and then knowing when to converge—when to close down some of the options, take a strong stance, and commit to a bold vision and story about how we will move forward.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Suzanne Howard: I always used to joke that in my businesses, we had great taste in people. That didn’t just mean hiring top talent—it meant finding people who were not only exceptional at what they did but also fantastic humans who made the team stronger by how they showed up in the world.
Defining what makes someone a “great person” is tough, but over time, I’ve realized the most resilient teams are built around two key qualities:
The ability to navigate without knowing – The best team members thrive in ambiguity. They don’t wait for perfect clarity before taking action; they’re comfortable experimenting, learning, and adapting in real time.
The ability to collaborate across diversity – Resilient teams are made up of individuals who can engage with different perspectives, challenge ideas constructively, and build on each other’s strengths. They don’t just work well with like-minded people; they seek out diverse viewpoints and use them to make better decisions.
These qualities—comfort with uncertainty and deep collaboration—form the foundation of resilience in an ever-changing world. When a team can move forward without all the answers and truly leverage the richness of diverse perspectives, they don’t just survive disruption; they thrive in it.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Suzanne Howard: I work hard, but I also step away hard.
Last autumn, I took a month off and went trekking in the Himalayas. I use trips like these as a way to get back to my inner anthropologist self and reconnect with other cultures and environments as a form of inspiration. I spent time in Bhutan, where I explored a different style of innovation that is deeply connected to Buddhism. Trips like this refuel and re-center me.
I’ve gone to an all-women’s surf camp in Costa Rica, meditation retreats, backcountry hikes, or simply spent a full day outdoors. The key is to fully unplug, connect to a different culture and part of my mind, and give myself space to recharge.
I also build in micro-breaks. Even during high-intensity periods, I prioritize moments of pause—whether that’s an hour-long walk, a deep breath between meetings, or a few minutes of meditation. Those small resets keep me steady.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Suzanne Howard: In times of crisis, I manage stress and maintain focus by shifting between two essential perspectives: zooming out to see the broader cycles of change and zooming in to ground myself in tangible action.
Zooming Out – Recognizing the Cycles of Progress and Backlash
Change is rarely linear. Understanding that progress often advances in waves—surging forward, then facing resistance—helps me contextualize challenges. This perspective prevents me from reacting with frustration or despair when setbacks occur. Instead, I see them as part of a larger pattern, allowing me to move forward with patience, adaptability, and strategic persistence.
Zooming In – Anchoring Amid Turbulent Change
When uncertainty feels overwhelming, I anchor myself in what I know and where I can have an impact. Rather than getting distracted by the enormity of global problems, I focus on the areas where I have deep expertise, strong relationships, and the ability to create meaningful change. I double down on the actions I can take today—leveraging my network, sharing knowledge, and helping others navigate the storm.
By continuously shifting between these perspectives, I maintain resilience—staying steady through setbacks, recognizing when to push forward, and knowing when to pause and recalibrate. This balance enables me to lead with clarity and impact, even in the face of crisis.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Suzanne Howard: I over-communicate, but more importantly, I make the invisible visible.
Uncertainty breeds anxiety, and silence fuels speculation. So I don’t just share updates—I narrate the process in real time:
What do we know?
What don’t we know?
What questions are we asking?
What’s the framework we’re using to make decisions?
Even when I don’t have answers, I lay out the shape of the uncertainty so people can orient themselves within it. This helps keep people engaged rather than paralyzed by ambiguity.
At the same time, I create space for people to contribute. People support what they help create, so I ensure there are multiple ways for input, discussion, and shared decision-making. In crisis, leadership isn’t about being the sole problem-solver—it’s about pulling in the collective intelligence of the group.
And then there’s the part I had to learn the hard way: sensing when I’m at my personal limit. There’s a precise feeling—just before I burn out—where I start moving too fast, absorbing too much, or trying to push through when I should step back. I’ve had to train myself to recognize that moment and pause before I hit the wall. Because a leader running on empty isn’t leading—they’re just reacting.
Crises aren’t just tests of strategy; they’re tests of emotional endurance. The best communication isn’t just about transmitting information—it’s about giving people (including myself) the tools to stay grounded, steady, and forward-moving, even when the ground is shifting beneath us.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Suzanne Howard: Resilience isn’t about endurance—it’s about adaptability. The strongest organizations aren’t the ones that power through crisis; they’re the ones that expect disruption and know how to move with it.
Here’s what I’ve learned about making resilience a built-in feature, not a reactive fix:
Codify Your Principles Before the Crisis Hits
When uncertainty strikes, decision-making can become chaotic. The most resilient organizations have clear, guiding principles—not just for what they do, but how they make decisions under pressure. Define these before you need them, so your team isn’t scrambling to invent values in the middle of a storm.
Make Relationships Your Crisis Insurance
Resilience isn’t just about processes—it’s about people. Your ability to recover from setbacks will depend on the strength of your internal teams, external advisors, and industry networks. Build trust before you need to cash it in. Strong relationships speed up problem-solving, unlock new paths forward, and prevent leaders from making high-stakes decisions in isolation.
Balance Stability with Flexibility
Rituals and rhythms create psychological safety, which is critical in crisis. Establish structured check-ins, regular communication cadences, and decision-making frameworks so that when disruption comes, you have a strong foundation to lean on. But don’t let those structures become rigid—build in adaptability so you’re not stuck defending processes that no longer serve you.
Invest in Recovery, Not Just Performance
Burnout is the enemy of resilience. It’s easy to push harder in a crisis, but sustained performance requires recovery. Build in intentional moments of rest—not as a luxury, but as a strategic necessity. Whether it’s individuals stepping back or entire teams hitting reset, make space for people to replenish their energy so they can lead effectively for the long haul.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Suzanne Howard: Crisis preparation isn’t about predicting the future—it’s about having the right structures in place so you can respond effectively when the unexpected happens.
I focus on building strong rhythms of connection and communication—who meets weekly, who meets monthly, and what’s the cadence of information-sharing? These structures create a foundation of trust and agility.
I also believe in punctuating work with play. Crises can be exhausting, so creating moments of joy, creativity, and human connection helps teams stay engaged, even in difficult times.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Suzanne Howard: In crisis, leadership is about holding both stability and change at the same time.
You have to acknowledge the difficulty, create space for uncertainty, and give people permission to process—but at the same time, you must provide a sense of clarity, direction, and momentum.
People don’t just need a plan; they need confidence that they can weather the storm. That confidence comes from honesty, communication, and shared agency. Bring people into the process, make space for their voices, and move forward together.
Always remember, change happens at the speed of relationships. So, if your relationships are not healthy, it will be hard to face transformational change in a steady way.
