5 ‘Intentional and Authentic’ Methods for Investing in Your Team’s Growth: From a Senior VP

Tina Todasco has long known about the importance of training and mentorship. In fact, she started her own career journey by taking part in a two-year Financial Management Program at General Electric.

“I have a great appreciation for all the learning and growth that happens while you’re in a development program,” shares Tina. “You typically start right after graduating when everything is new and you’re learning rapidly. I thought I had learned everything I would need to know in college and realized quickly that wasn’t the case!” Not only did Tina learn a great deal, but this program truly launched her career — resulting in subsequent roles as a senior financial analyst at a medical device company and a leader at an e-commerce company. 

Throughout it all, Tina honed her talents in the financial, medical, and sales fields, while also discovering a desire to contribute to something bigger than herself. Tina found that she was driven by a need to not only help customers, but empower her own team, too. 

“I wanted to help my team achieve their goals and aspirations and to encourage them to dream really big,” Tina tells us. “I also wanted to use my own experiences to help them work through challenges. Being able to share that I, too, had a similar challenge, and this is how I tried to resolve it, can help the other person feel not so alone.” 

In short, Tina learned that she wanted to be a leader who inspires others through empathy and support for growth — creating teams that achieve great results and make an impact. And, she found a role that aligned with these goals as the Senior Vice President for Global Finance and Sales Operations at Intuitive: a patient-first, mission-driven pioneer in robotics-assisted surgery.

“This is a very special place to work,” says Tina. Here, she is able to fully lean into her ability to positively impact the lives of both patients and her team members.

Today, we’ll dive more into Tina's leadership style, five ways she fosters growth, and how Intuitive supports their team every step of the way.

How to become a supportive and empathetic leader.

Celebrating others is a core element of being a supportive and empathetic leader. And this is a trait that is at the heart of who Tina is — both at work and outside of it! 

Personally, when she’s not working, Tina can often be found rooting for her daughter’s volleyball team. As Tina puts it, “I didn’t realize that I was going to be that parent, cheering hard from the sidelines, but well, here we are.”

At work, Tina is the same: acting as a cheerleader for those she works with. “When I think about what has made me the happiest, it’s when I see people in my organization feel fulfilled in what they’re doing and connected to our mission — they set big goals and they’re achieving them,” notes Tina. “There is nothing better than that.”

As for how she best celebrates and supports her colleagues, Tina lets us know that she was inspired by a previous mentor: Juan Simpson, a Chief Financial Officer within J&J.

Simpson, as Tina quickly found out, has an extremely supportive leadership style, which involves learning more about his team’s goals, needs, and ideas. “He had this unbelievable ability to tell you, ‘hey, this didn’t hit the mark,’ but in a way that actually built you up,” recalls Tina. “You left his office and felt like ‘I can do this.’ [...] I realized how unique Juan’s style was and that it takes a special leader to care about each person on the team and invest in their development.”

Today, Tina aims to be the kind of motivational leader that Simpson is, including the ability to walk the halls of her office and know something personal about each member of her team, expressing her excitement when a colleague delivers an excellent presentation, and sending a thoughtful message to recognize someone’s accomplishments.

“It’s amazing to see the combination of great business results and personal growth and development that occurs when your team feels connected, empowered, and a sense of belonging,” says Tina, who is always excited to celebrate those wins.

5 Practices to Invest in Your Team’s Growth

If you’re wondering how to be “intentional and authentic” as a growth-minded leader, Tina has five top suggestions to help you on your way.

1. Be honest. 

“Share with your team both what they’re doing well and where they could develop and grow,” Tina shares. “I think there are times when a leader, in an effort to preserve someone’s feelings or the relationship, is not honest with the other person. But that’s often what they need to hear the most to achieve their goals and aspirations.” 

2. Be intentional and creative.

“After identifying what areas or skills need further development, be intentional about creating the right learning opportunities to work on them,” says Tina. “It’s important that your team members can see the connection between the project they’re working on and the skill they are developing. Don’t be afraid to identify a project or deliverable outside of their day-to-day area if that’s the best learning opportunity.” Personally, Tina has seen how intentionality builds confidence and develops new skill sets.

3. Ask for help. 

Whether it’s from your colleague or your boss, don’t shy away from getting other opinions on how to invest in someone’s growth. “I know I don’t have sole possession of great ideas,” Tina emphasizes. “Plus, the other benefit is that now I’m not the only one who’s aware of this person’s potential. Other people become invested.” 

4. Listen to what that person desires. 

“In the past, I’ve had people working for me who didn’t aspire to be a senior leader, and I felt this urge to push them because I felt they were capable,” notes Tina. “But sometimes, that’s just not what they want. And that’s okay — it’s important not to ascribe your own career goals to someone else.”

5. Help the person to see their potential. 

Finally, remember that everyone has to own their career journey — and strong leaders build the confidence needed to take charge of that growth. “At many points in my career, I had leaders who believed in me more than I believed in myself,” Tina recalls. “They saw something in me that I didn’t see. I am incredibly grateful for the confidence that instilled in me and hope to do the same for my teams at Intuitive as well.”

Exploring a company that helps foster growth.

Of course, another imperative element to empowering your team is finding a company that is equally invested in their growth and success. And, at Intuitive, this culture is pervasive. 

Intuitive works hard to build their inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment where every individual can belong and flourish. In fact, their I&D vision is to empower employees and customers from every background to fully contribute toward their shared purpose of healing without constraints. Intuitive knows that when everyone can share their expertise, energy, and ideas, there’s no limit to what’s possible. The company supports growth and development via dedicated tools such as on-demand online learning, tuition reimbursement, employee development programs, and more!

And, Intuitive doesn’t just help you grow — they celebrate your growth and wins just like Tina does! For example, The Finance team at Intuitive presents quarterly awards to their high-achieving team members, and Tina loves celebrating those wins.

“I love seeing when people are incredible at what they do and the pride they have in their work,” she tells us. “It’s so inspiring to me to see all the challenges they overcame to get a great result. I appreciate how our team takes the time to celebrate those wins.”