Karin Timpone on Mastering the ‘Leadership Toggle’

What I’ve Learned

For Karin Timpone, modern leadership isn’t a single stance. It’s a continuous toggle, a kind of rhythmic shape-shifting between qualities that often seem contradictory. Today’s executives must be at once receptive and assertive, imaginative and evidence-driven, patient and tenacious.

“Sometimes we have to toggle between different work tracks and work styles. Leaders today are doing things that are breaking through in new ways. That requires curiosity and courage in equal measure.”

For Karin, the toggle begins with how a leader shows up. Genuine curiosity isn’t a soft skill, but rather the gateway to being invited into the conversations that matter, early enough to shape outcomes. That curiosity must coexist with conviction, because innovative ideas often introduce unfamiliar terrain for others.

And woven through it all is care, not only for the people navigating change with you, but also care for yourself so you can sustain the load. “If it’s just the approved talking points, people feel that. Expressing care is sharing what you can, when you can, in a real way.”

How I’ve Sharpened

Across her career, from pioneering mobile livestreaming at Disney/ABC to architecting Marriott Bonvoy, Karin learned that the toggle isn’t theoretical. It’s operational.

• Build the belief, not just the optics. At Disney/ABC, pioneering digital streaming meant years of aligning anxious stakeholders, proving the technology, and addressing industry fears head-on. Karin learned to scan not only the one-on-one conversations, but the whispers above and beside them. “Understanding the landscape is knowing what reverberates.”
• Accelerate wisely. At Marriott, by contrast, the mandate for transformation was immediate. The challenge wasn’t buy-in, but systems. Bringing a new consumer value proposition to life required finance, operations, and tech to enable it long before marketing could scale it. Her takeaway: sometimes the speed is there, but the scaffolding isn’t. You must build both.
• Create lanes for experimentation. Whether maverick thinkers are obvious or tucked quietly inside the organization, Karin believes leaders should “formally create and fund small proofs of concept” to surface ambition. These early sparks become both evidence and encouragement, signaling that exploration is welcome and failure has dignity.
• Tell a story people can carry. In complex transformations, Karin focuses on narratives that travel without a deck. At Marriott, one internal catchphrase, “this customer stays more, pays more, costs less,” helped teams across functions align on why the work mattered. A memorable phrase becomes a pocket-sized North Star.
• Let your authentic self evolve. As her career progressed, Karin embraced asking more questions, not fewer. “Authentic self can also grow. I’m not changing who I am, but I’m changing my point of engagement.” 

Why It Matters

Transformation is never a straight line. It pulses, expands, contracts, and tests resolve. Karin’s approach shows leaders thrive not by choosing a single mode, but by mastering the art of flexing between them.

Curiosity draws others in. Courage carries ideas forward. Storytelling builds shared understanding. And genuine care—human, unpolished, and consistent—becomes the stabilizing force that helps teams stretch into the future.

Leadership today is a toggle. The skill is moving between the modes with clarity, grace, and intention.

About Karin Timpone

Karin Timpone is a global marketing and digital product leader, former Global Marketing Officer at Marriott International, and former senior executive at Major League Baseball, Yahoo! And Disney/ABC.

She is recognized for architecting brand transformations, shaping digital innovation, and cultivating leadership cultures built on curiosity, collaboration, and courageous storytelling. Karin now independently advises C-level executives, founders and innovators on business growth strategies as Founder and CEO of ClearPrompt™).