MEL #043 | From Paper Mill Problem Solver to Enterprise Change Leader through Triangulating for the Truth with Barbie Bigelow

In this episode, I speak with Barbie Bigelow, CEO of Emerald Growth Partners and an independent board director, strategist, and digital expert. Barbie is a first-generation college student who pivoted from pre-med to chemical engineering, then discovered a love for computing during an internship at a paper mill. During her internship, she saved the company millions of dollars and was offered a full-time position, but decided to pursue graduate school instead.After graduate school, Barbie started at IBM and kept saying yes to stretch roles that led to system architect, integrator, business leader, and CIO and CTO positions across multiple industries. In our leadership segment, Barbie talks about how in her first CIO role, a unified platform proposal was rejected by the top leader. After a hard reset, she coached her team to relearn the business unit by unit, delivered targeted wins, and converted a skeptic into a champion who later endorsed the broader platform. Barbie's advice to engineering leaders: be relentlessly curious, practice the now what mindset, and triangulate for the truth by aligning strategy, actions, and data. Lead with authenticity, personalize your coaching like Pat Summitt, and always do what you say. Explore the full episode summary, including guest bio, key takeaways, transcript, and recommended resources in the shownotes at www.drangeliqueadams.com/podcast