Denise beams with a fierce curiosity. Sit down with her and you sense that she’s not only interested in what you have to say, but how you think. She wants not only to understand your perspective, but to better understand herself. Denise has come to know herself and define her leadership by challenging assumptions, asking tough questions and not being afraid to reframe her own thinking. This openness has served her well as the CEO of a “100-year-old start up.”

When ITT Corporation spun off its business into three separate companies in 2011, Denise took the helm of a “new” company with a century-old legacy of capabilities, brands and management systems. Not wanting to base the go-forward strategy on assumptions, Denise embarked on a global listening tour to understand the company’s DNA—the values and motivations that bound people together despite function or geography. The tour revealed a clear and shared commitment to have an enduring impact on the world. Denise’s experience in developing the ITT Way provides practical advice on how you can infuse your company’s strategy with a greater sense of purpose and drive systemic accountability to bring it to life your operations.