How to Lead People First in Uncertain Times with Dara Treseder

Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People

Guy Kawasaki

Education, Business, Society & Culture

4.5 • 679 Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does leadership look like when the world keeps shifting beneath you? Dara Treseder—Chief Marketing Officer of Autodesk—joins Guy to share how people-first decision-making and focusing on what you can control help leaders stay grounded in uncertain times.

Dara breaks down how Autodesk’s design-and-make platform touches everything from buildings to Oscar-winning films, and why bold moves like partnering with the LA28 Olympics require clarity, conviction, and resilience. She also speaks candidly about navigating bias, imposter syndrome, and the pressure of being “the only” in many rooms.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that courage isn’t loud—it’s consistent, intentional, and rooted in how you show up for others and for yourself.

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Guy Kawasaki is on a mission to make you remarkable. His Remarkable People podcast features interviews with remarkable people such as Jane Goodall, Marc Benioff, Woz, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Bob Cialdini. Every episode will make you more remarkable.

With his decades of experience in Silicon Valley as a Venture Capitalist and advisor to the top entrepreneurs in the world, Guy’s questions come from a place of curiosity and passion for technology, start-ups, entrepreneurship, and marketing. If you love society and culture, documentaries, and business podcasts, take a second to follow Remarkable People.

Listeners of the Remarkable People podcast will learn from some of the most successful people in the world with practical tips and inspiring stories that will help you be more remarkable.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	As we head into the new year, leaders everywhere are wondering how to help their teams do the best work of their lives.
0:07.1	And here's the encouraging part. When people have the right skills, everything gets better.
0:11.9	Collaboration improves, projects run smoother, innovation actually takes off. That's why Project Management Institute is such a powerful resource.
0:20.5	As the home of the PMP and globally recognized certifications, PMI gives teams the confidence
0:25.6	and capability to turn big ideas into real results.
0:29.0	Invest in your people and watch remarkable things happen.
0:32.4	Project Management Institute.
0:34.3	Learn more at pMI.org.
0:36.6	I think a people first leader is a leader who puts the needs of the people front and
0:44.2	center when making decisions. So it's not to say you're not going to make hard decisions or
0:48.4	difficult decisions, but you're going to make sure that you understand the people impact
0:53.1	and that you plan for it.
0:58.0	Good morning. First of all, let me explain. I'm Guy Kawasaki. I'm not Robert Kiyosaki. I didn't write
1:05.3	rich dad, poor dad, all right. And this is the Remarkable People podcast. And the whole point is to find remarkable people to inspire and inform people. And so we're blessed to find people like you. So thank you very much for being on the show. I am honored to be here. Thank you so much for having me. I'm a fan of your work. You say that to everybody. Oh, no, I really don't. I'm going to ask this. You can ask my team. I really don't. I try to keep it. True. I keep it authentic. 100. So, Dara, first of all, for the longest time, I thought your name was Tresseter. I thought, oh, they named the food hall in Stanford after her. I can understand why
1:46.0	they would do it, but it's treceter. It's a different family. I know sometimes people get
1:52.1	they were like, oh, you're not. I'm like, no, we are a different treceter. Still a great one,
1:56.4	but our names are not yet on buildings. Yet.
2:01.5	Yet.
2:07.2	So just to explain that you're the chief marketing officer of Autodesk, right?
2:07.7	Yes.
2:12.1	That is a very high position here in Silicon Valley and tech.
2:13.3	And basically I looked at it.
	...

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