Episode #42: Lessons in Leadership: Isaura Gaeta on Trust, Vision & Resilience

From breaking barriers to leading her team through crisis—Isaura Gaeta’s leadership journey is a masterclass in vision, trust, and resilience. A former Intel executive and Latina pioneer in tech, Isaura knows what it takes to navigate uncertainty, inspire teams, and drive results—without losing sight of the people who make it all possible.

In this episode, hosts Dan Winter and Lynette Winter sit down with Isaura to explore the defining moments of her career—from engineering to executive leadership. She shares hard-won lessons on building trust, leading through change, and creating a culture where people thrive—even in the most challenging circumstances.

Key Moments You’ll Want to Hear:

02:23 – Isaura on turning leadership challenges into a blueprint for success.
06:08 – Shutting down a massive plant—without losing trust or morale.
12:47 – Why diverse approaches to problem-solving fuel better solutions.
21:41 – Accountability starts at the top—how leaders set the tone.
24:20 – The power of being the first to extend trust.
27:13 – Why encouraging rest is a leadership strategy.
35:02 – Strategies for developing your team.
40:53 – Creating space for every voice.
44:11 – Isaura’s transition to board leadership and what she learned.
51:09 – Her leadership mantra: Commit. Persist. Unite.

👉 Commit, persist, and unite (CPU). Commit to being your best self every day. Persist despite setbacks, because there will be many setbacks, and the ability to be resilient and bounce back is really important, and unite, because you can't do this alone.

This episode is packed with insights that C-suite leaders and their teams can use right now. Hit play and take notes.

About Isaura Gaeta

Isaura Gaeta is a former Intel technology executive, where she served for four decades in various capacities from Plant Manager of a highly automated semiconductor manufacturing facility to General Manager of Security Research, improving the security of Intel’s products. A Latina pioneer in semiconductors, Isaura currently serves on corporate and nonprofit boards.

You can find her on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaura-s-gaeta/. 

About the Book 

Growing Groups Into Teams: How do you turn a group of individuals into a highly effective, productive team? Growing Groups Into Teams is an unusually useful book written by a team of generative consultants and coaches who have helped thousands of groups become effective teams.

Through real-life stories combined with pragmatic advice, this book strengthens your ability to see what’s needed and take effective action:

• What two promises turn a group into a team.

• How to engage people to make those promises.

• How to invite responsibility and accountability.

• How to include and inspire people across differences.

• How to build and rebuild trust, and more!

Regardless of how productive your teams are today, the insights in this book will help you grow to the next level to drive your business or organization forward. Order your copy today!

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Groups-into-Teams-Real-life-ebook/dp/B0CJLC23VS  

Order directly:
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?l8SxF4Aexn9gq08iz7jFBbwutleujrftoZ2wAOFzCVH  

If you're looking to expand your leadership influence, shift your results, and develop a highly engaged, accountable team, we’d love to talk to you. Schedule a conversation with an Altus Team Member here: https://calendly.com/prollin-altusgrowth/zoom-video-30-min

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Keywords:
#Leadership #TeamLeadership #WomenInLeadership #WomenInEngineering #SharedVision #OvercomingChallenge #BoardRoles #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamDevelopment #CapacityBuilding