Turning Adversity Into Leadership – with Ted Santos
In Episode 221 of The Executive Edge podcast, I sat down with Ted Santos, a business strategist who has pioneered a disruptive leadership model that challenges how executives think about change, adversity, and organisational transformation. Ted’s approach isn’t just theoretical – it’s forged from personal experience that would break most people.
The Power of Early Adversity
Ted’s story begins with tragedy. At just 21, he lost his mother and found himself responsible for his younger siblings. What could have been paralysing became transformative. As we explored in our conversation, the resilience, problem-solving abilities, and capacity to navigate chaos that he developed during those formative years became the foundation for his unique approach to business transformation.
What struck me most was Ted’s insight that these skills didn’t emerge at 21 – they’d been building since he was six years old. This revelation opens up fascinating questions about how early challenges shape our leadership capabilities and our ability to thrive in disruption.
Uncovering Blind Spots
At the heart of Ted’s methodology is identifying blind spots – those limiting beliefs and mental barriers that organisations don’t even know they have. He shared a compelling example: before Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1956, it was considered humanly impossible. Today, a 15-year-old in New Zealand has achieved it. The barrier wasn’t physical; it was perceptual.
This principle applies directly to business. Ted’s work with Turnaround Investment Partners focuses on helping organisations recognise where they’ve unconsciously set limits. When a sales team insists they “can’t sell to CEOs” or when leadership assumes certain transformations are impossible, these aren’t facts – they’re unexamined beliefs masquerading as reality.
The Business Case for Personal Wellbeing
One unexpected revelation in our conversation was about workplace productivity and divorce. Ted explained that organisations lose £300 billion annually in productivity when employees navigate divorce, with individual productivity dropping 50-75%. I found this particularly resonant, having experienced it myself – missing opportunities because I simply didn’t have the bandwidth to respond.
This connection led us to discuss Ted’s book, *Here’s Why You Can’t Find Love*. Whilst it might seem tangential to business strategy, it addresses a critical blind spot: organisations can’t afford to ignore the personal challenges their people face. These challenges directly impact performance, innovation, and growth.
The Role of Leadership in Transformation
Drawing on the principles of Edward Deming, Ted emphasised that meaningful organisational change must begin at the top. Deming famously refused to work with companies whose CEOs wouldn’t personally engage in the transformation process. Ted applies this same rigour.
The logic is compelling: if leadership harbours blind spots about what’s possible, if they misdiagnose problems (blaming the sales team when the issue lies in strategic perception), then no amount of intervention at lower levels will create lasting change. Transformation requires leaders who are willing to examine their own limiting beliefs first.
Chaos as Catalyst
Perhaps the most counterintuitive aspect of Ted’s approach is his relationship with chaos. Whilst most consultants promise to solve problems, Ted jokes that he creates them. This isn’t flippancy – it’s recognition that disruption, properly managed, brings out the best in people and organisations.
As Ted noted, the entire universe emerged from the chaos of the Big Bang. Chaos isn’t the end of possibility; it’s often the beginning. The question isn’t whether your organisation will face disruption, but whether you’ve developed the mental frameworks, emotional resilience, and cultural accountability to transform it into opportunity.
Practical Takeaways for Executives
For busy executives, Ted’s message is clear: your perceived limitations are often more constraining than actual reality. Whether you’re facing market disruption, organisational change, or personal challenges, the pathway forward begins with identifying your blind spots and reframing what you believe is possible.
This isn’t about positive thinking – it’s about neuroplasticity, intentional perspective shifts, and building cultures of accountability and calculated risk-taking.
Connect with Ted Santos:
Email: tsantos@turnaroundip.com
LinkedIn: Ted Santos
Book: *Here’s Why You Can’t Find Love* – https://a.co/d/g8X2h9k (available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)
