What does it take to lead with purpose, build high-performing teams, and keep growing in a complex industry? On The Horse’s Mouth: Game Changers with Scott Revels, Leila Sundstrom, Senior VP – Howden US, brings a thoughtful perspective on leadership, performance, collaboration, and the mindset required to pursue meaningful goals.
Representing Howden, a global insurance and risk advisory firm, Sundstrom offers valuable insight into what it means to operate in a field where trust, expertise, and teamwork matter. Howden helps organizations manage complex risks, optimize insurance programs, and protect their people, assets, and growth.
About the Game Changers Conversation
The Horse’s Mouth: Game Changers with Scott Revels highlights leaders who are making an impact through their work, values, and commitment to growth. This conversation is scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 12:10 PM at 1611 San Marco Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32207.
The discussion features Leila Sundstrom of Howden, who brings experience from the insurance and risk advisory industry and a leadership philosophy centered on purpose, humility, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Howden: Helping Organizations Navigate Risk
In today’s business environment, organizations face increasingly complex risks. From protecting people and assets to supporting growth, the right insurance and risk advisory guidance can play an important role in long-term resilience.
Howden is positioned as a global insurance and risk advisory firm focused on helping organizations manage those complexities. For businesses, that means having access to expertise that can support smarter insurance programs and help leaders make more informed decisions about risk.
Why Insurance and Risk Advisory Matter
Risk is not limited to one area of a business. It can affect operations, employees, growth plans, and the ability to respond to unexpected challenges. A strong insurance and risk advisory approach helps organizations look beyond basic coverage and think more strategically about protection and continuity.
For readers, the practical takeaway is clear: risk planning should be treated as an ongoing business priority, not a one-time decision. Organizations benefit when they regularly evaluate their exposures, align insurance programs with business goals, and work with professionals who understand their needs.
Defining Success Through Purpose and Progress
One of the central themes Sundstrom emphasizes is that success is not simply a final destination. She defines success as consistently working toward your highest potential in pursuit of a goal that is aligned with your core values and purpose.
That perspective is especially relevant for leaders and professionals navigating demanding roles. When goals are connected to a deeper why, the work has more meaning and the impact can extend beyond the individual to the people and communities around them.
Success Is Built One Intentional Step at a Time
Rather than viewing success as a fixed endpoint, Sundstrom sees it as a mindset and a commitment to growth. Goals can evolve, but intentional progress remains essential.
For professionals in any industry, this is a powerful reminder: meaningful growth often comes from daily discipline, clear values, and the willingness to keep showing up with purpose.
Improving Performance by Seeking New Perspectives
Sundstrom’s approach to performance improvement starts with intentionally seeking perspectives that differ from her own. This helps challenge assumptions, uncover blind spots, and create better ways forward.
That mindset is valuable for leaders, teams, and organizations. It is easy to gravitate toward information that confirms existing beliefs. Growth often requires the humility to invite feedback, listen carefully, and consider ideas that may initially feel uncomfortable.
The Role of Coaching and Objective Feedback
Coaching has also played an important role in Sundstrom’s development. Her view is that even high performers benefit from objective feedback and guidance.
This applies far beyond executive leadership. Whether someone is early in their career or managing a large team, coaching and feedback can help turn potential into progress. The strongest professionals are often the ones willing to keep learning.
Maximizing Strengths Instead of Trying to Do Everything
Sundstrom also focuses on maximizing strengths rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Everyone has unique strengths, and applying them more efficiently can often create greater value than focusing only on weaknesses.
For teams, this principle can improve collaboration. When people understand their strengths and are given space to use them well, the entire group can perform at a higher level.
Teamwork, Trust, and Letting Experts Lead
One of the most meaningful team accomplishments Sundstrom shared involved a prospective client relationship she had spent nearly a decade building. For years, she did not formally ask for the business because she did not feel she had the right team in place to deliver at the level the client deserved.
When she finally had access to specialists she trusted, she felt confident asking for the opportunity. The relationship opened the door, but the team validated the trust through its expertise.
Leadership Is Not Doing Everything Yourself
This experience reinforced an important leadership lesson: leadership is not about doing everything alone. It is about building the right team, creating clarity, and allowing people to operate in their strengths.
When ego is replaced with trust and collaboration, the collective result can be stronger than anything one person could accomplish independently.
Lessons from Competition: Discipline, Structure, and Support
Sundstrom also draws lessons from competing at the national level in figure bodybuilding. That experience taught her to begin with a clear goal, work backward, and build the discipline, structure, and time management required to achieve it.
It also shaped her perspective on ownership. Success cannot depend only on one person’s opinion. You have to show up as the best version of yourself because no one will ever be more invested in your life and career than you are.
Even Coaches Need Coaches
Another key lesson is the value of humility and support. Sundstrom believes even coaches need coaches. Staying open to learning, building a strong support network, and sharing knowledge with others can help people push through difficult seasons and reach goals that once felt out of reach.
Practical Takeaways for Leaders and Professionals
Leila Sundstrom’s perspective offers practical value for anyone looking to grow personally or professionally. Her approach can be applied across industries, roles, and stages of career development.
- Align goals with purpose. Goals become more meaningful when they connect to core values and a clear why.
- Seek different perspectives. Challenging assumptions can reveal blind spots and improve decision-making.
- Use systems to track progress. Measuring daily wins can build confidence and momentum.
- Focus on strengths. Teams perform better when people are empowered to use what they do best.
- Trust the team. Strong leadership includes knowing when to let others lead in their areas of expertise.
- Stay coachable. Feedback, coaching, and continuous learning support long-term growth.
A Purpose-Driven Approach to Growth
The conversation on The Horse’s Mouth: Game Changers with Scott Revels brings together themes that matter in business and in life: purpose, trust, preparation, discipline, and collaboration.
For Howden’s Leila Sundstrom, success is not a finish line. It is a way of showing up, improving, learning, and contributing with intention. That message is especially relevant for leaders who want to build stronger teams and create lasting impact.
Conclusion
As organizations continue to navigate complex risks and fast-changing business conditions, leadership grounded in purpose and collaboration becomes even more important. Leila Sundstrom’s insights reflect a practical and people-centered approach to performance, one that values both individual growth and team excellence.
To learn more about Howden, visit https://Howdengroup.com. To follow conversations from The Horse’s Mouth, visit https://horsesmouthtv.com.
