People Leadership Stories: Vice President of Conservation Engagement and Learning

This month, I interviewed several past participants of the Leading People Program^TM (LPP) to check in and see how their leadership and life, may have shifted since their experience. Darcie Larson, Vice President of Conservation Engagement and Learning, Seattle Aquarium, joined my spring 2025 cohort. This is her progress about six months later.

Q. Are there specific changes you made to your leadership style since participating in the Leading People Program^TM?

A. I was able to make decisions about how I spend my time based on the highest and best use frame. This allowed me to let go of things that kept coming to me based on my previous roles, and make space for the things that need my attention now that I’m a member of the executive leadership team. It grounded me in what I need to prioritize now, and helped me to be firm in letting folks know what I can’t keep holding, and work with them to identify who could take it on, or when we need to let something go.   

Q. What tools or frameworks have you used, and is there a positive result or change you can share?

A. We changed up the format of our weekly departmental leaders meeting as a result of applying the “assess your current meeting culture and performance” tool.  We started having team members add their updates to the notes document rather than verbally sharing, and using the meeting time for discussion instead. This has freed up meeting time for conversation. Next I will work on structuring that conversation time to be more interactive, as this is still an area for improvement. I am also excited to implement the Monthly Meet Up with my direct reports, and encourage them to do the same with their teams. 

Q. When you reflect on your current responsibilities and meetings, as well as your ability to take care of yourself, what do you notice you have adjusted since taking the Leading People Program^TM?

A. The highest and best use frame has been impactful for me. One example is when there were a series of meetings and emails about a positive change that was happening that was fun and exciting. Even though I was excited about the change, and curious to learn more, I recognized that I wasn’t needed to sit in on the meetings or be the lead on the email conversation. I delegated this to one of the leaders in my department, who will be more directly involved with crafting messages about the change. It would have been easy for me to jump on the calls (and was tempting, because I was curious!), but I recognized it wasn’t the highest and best use of my time, and also gave one of my team members a chance to step into that leadership role. 

Q. Would you like to share any specific results, changes, or effects that have occurred for you personally or professionally that you directly correlate with the knowledge and perspective you gained since taking Leading People Program^TM?

A. I have a people-centered leadership approach, one that is grounded in empathy practices.  The LPP content reaffirmed the value of this approach and built my confidence in my leadership style. I feel more confident as a member of our executive team in modeling this approach and advocating for meeting our staff’s concerns with compassion and curiosity. 

Q. Anything else you would like to share with me?

A.  I just printed out the workbook and user manual today!  I realized it would be helpful to have them in hard copy form. The work continues!

Learn more about the Leading People Program™. Join the next open enrollment or contact me if you have six or more team members interested in a private cohort.