Inspire Someone Today
Inspire Someone Today
E137 | The Trifecta of Leadership P1 | Catherine Li-Yunxia
This episode emphasizes the significant role of courage and authenticity in modern leadership, providing actionable insights on how leaders can navigate uncertainty. Catherine discusses the importance of ethical decision-making, aligning personal values with professional goals, and embracing discomfort for growth, urging every leader to reflect on their impact and clarify their purpose.
• Exploring the questions every leader should ask for self-reflection
• Understanding the complexities of leadership in a volatile world
• The significance of ethical leadership and stakeholder well-being
• Practical steps to align personal values with professional goals
• Embracing discomfort as a catalyst for growth and resilience
• Cultivating supportive environments to foster courageous leadership
• Developing emotional resilience to enhance leadership effectiveness
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Leaders must have the ability to simplify complexity so they can clearly identify what's most important. This enables a better focus, faster pivot and more efficient capitalization on opportunities. When you make a bold decision means the uncertainty lies ahead. You need to create awareness and face the discomfort head on. Less ahead you need to create awareness and face the discomfort head on. Remember that courage is not about the absence of fear. It's about acting in spite of it.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Inspire Someone Today podcast, a show where we dive into the stories and insights that has the power to create ripples of inspiration in your life. I'm your host, shrikant, and I'm thrilled to be with you on this journey of inspiration. Hey, my dear listeners, welcome back to yet another episode of Inspire Someone Today. Whom do we have as an inspirer today? Well, well, somebody with decades of experience in the leadership coaching circuit. We have Catherine joining us.
Speaker 2:Catherine is a seasoned executive coach with over a decade of experience in specializing in coaching organization leaders such as CEOs, gms and MDs, as well as C-suite executives and board members. Catherine has coached hundreds of global leaders across various industries and regions. In addition, catherine herself is a global leadership speaker. She speaks on the trifecta of authentic leadership, courageous leadership and servant leadership at these conferences and global organizations.
Speaker 2:Before becoming a professional coach, catherine worked for corporates for 16 years, primarily the Fortune 500 companies, and held several leadership roles, honing leadership skills and understanding the complexities of executive roles. Catherine is deeply passionate about empowering executives to thrive in their respective fields and dedicated to providing tailored support and guidance to help them break through barriers to achieve their goals and reach new heights. It's an absolute joy to have Catherine joining us on this episode of Inspire Some More today. And that's not all. Catherine's areas of expertise include CEO succession and CEO transition, where she has been recognized as LinkedIn top executive coaching voice and top 10 most effective global CEO coaches and executive coaches in 2023. It's an absolute joy to have, catherine, you join us on this episode of Inspire Someone today.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Sri. Happy New Year. Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you for joining us. Thank you, sri. Happy New Year, thank you for having me here, thank you, thank you for joining us. What better way than to get started, to jump right in into the leadership journey that you have had, the fantastic journey that you had? I spoke about the three elements. That is so, so near and dear to me and to a lot of my listeners authentic leadership, servant leadership and courageous leadership and here is somebody who brings all those three elements together. So my first question now to you, catherine, is what's one question every leader should ask themselves to become a better leader.
Speaker 1:It is many questions every leader can ask themselves on a daily basis to become a better leader, but one of them I really recommend is how would my actions today impact the people I need? So this question encourages leaders to reflect on their behaviors, decisions and communication, focus on the influence and alignment with their value and purpose. And so, from the leaders I coach on a daily basis, I really encourage the leaders to do reflection, create awareness on the impact that they create from their actions on people and organizations. The industry leads, so when they reflect on the impact of their actions, they absolutely help build the self-awareness, empathy and accountability and a lot of the other key trees of the effective leadership. So this is the questions I recommend every leader, even myself, to ask, to reflect on every day.
Speaker 2:I think that's a very powerful reflective thought how is my actions going to impact the people around me, my organization and the community? And with that said, in the current world, the WUCA world, as they say, what's leadership in the context of the current business and the geopolitical landscape?
Speaker 1:It's a really big question, sri. You know it can't be answered with one line, but because today's business environment is very volatile and the geopolitical landscape adds to its complexity right as a result, the leadership focus must also be on navigating uncertainty effectively, fostering innovation, embodying adequate decision-making, prioritizing stakeholders' well-being and act courageously. Let me elaborate on each of those points. You know why and how, and then navigate uncertainly effectively. Ask ourselves, you know, do leaders have good choices? Nowadays, uncertainty is constant. Leaders must have the ability to simplify complexity so they can clearly identify what's most important. This enables a better focus, foster, pivot and more efficient capitalization on opportunities. And the second, why innovate? Because the business landscape has changed significantly. Leaders can no longer rely solely on past approaches and experiences.
Speaker 1:New ways of addressing issues, tackling challenges and creating opportunities are so important to staying competitive, and leaders must make decisions that balance short-term needs with long-term sustainability. You must be adaptable, resilient and ethical. Being ethical is more important than ever because since the business environment is so challenging, so it's much harder to drive results now, which is the major challenge most CEOs are facing. To be honest, it's easier for leaders to drive numbers desperately by neglecting to make decisions based on ethics. They feel like okay, however, you know I drive the numbers and then they will do, but it's so easier for them to just focus on numbers by neglecting making ethical decision making. So CEOs' ethical leadership the leaders' ethical leadership is fundamentally important nowadays. Haven't we seen enough real cases about the damaging impact of CEOs' un and ethical decision, from aerospace industry to medical and health insurance? Now right. So when leaders make a strategic decision, they must align them with both business objectives and social impact.
Speaker 1:The next point leaders also need to guide their organizations through complex challenges while prioritizing stakeholders' well-being, because when you become the physical, emotional and financial health of everyone, you build trust, you have loyalty and you achieve long-term, sustainable success. When you consider the needs of all stakeholders, you create a positive impact that benefits both the organization and society as a whole. And the last point is leaders need to act courageously. Because in order to do all those above, such as navigating uncertainty, pivoting quickly, seizing opportunities and making adequate decisions, the leaders must act courageously. They need to do the things that have never been done before, and this is a new environment, new challenges. So leaders need to do the things that have never been done before, need to challenge the status quo, need to ask questions and tough questions. They need to make unpopular decisions and need to ask questions and tough questions. They need to make unpopular decisions and need to drive progress, and also they need to pave the way forward. Without courage, it would be nearly impossible to lead into this environment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think those are great call-outs and something for leaders, ceos, to watch out for, and, at the same time, it looks world overwhelming as well. As a leader, you're expected to do so many things. You got to kind of carry the organization, carry the team, carry the stakeholders, all of it and you touched upon the elements of authentic leadership, courageous leadership and servant leadership. If I were to ask you what is one actionable mantra or one actionable action that somebody were to take, what would that be for each of these categories?
Speaker 1:well, it's a challenging request, as each embodies his own unique essence, right and a profound significance. You know you have to blend them into something. It could be served boldly with purpose and community. This mantra, I would encapsulate the essence of authentic leadership, which is purpose-driven, courageous leadership, which is boldness in action. And the seventh leadership, which is humility in serving others. So this one-line serve boldly with purpose and humility, you know this one-line serve, bought with purpose and humility, would remind leaders to act with conviction, prioritize the needs of their people and stay true to their values and principles. So this is a quick reflection on the blend you all three together.
Speaker 2:And we'll unpeel each of these now, one after the other. So we spoke about authentic leadership. What practical steps can leaders take to align their personal values with their professional goals? We have seen time and again where there is misalignment of this is what causes downfall of the individual or downfall of the organization. Right, so what? According to having closely worked with top leaders, have you seen some of the steps taken them that aligns their personal values with top leaders? Have you seen some of the steps taken them that aligns their personal values with their professional roles?
Speaker 1:Right. You know, honestly, I have been asked this question on and off quite frequently. I do find the question about the authentic leadership authenticity puzzling. Sorry about this language because they often feel I feel like it's a little bit unnecessary, but I understand why I see this. I say this is a little bit puzzling because authentic leadership is about being your true self. It doesn't request skills or practices. It's about sticking to your principles and acting in alignment with your core values and beliefs. So, asking, when I'm asked, oh, what steps can I take to be myself? I feel like, oh, you're either being yourself or you're not.
Speaker 1:You know, but that side, I recognize that for some leaders, the struggle isn't about discovering authenticity itself. It's about figuring out how to show up as their true selves in professional environments. Right, why we say that? Because there's lots of society pressures, organizational culture of fear, of judgment and all of us together can create barriers for leaders and make it difficult for them to fully embrace and express who they are.
Speaker 1:For those leaders, such questions are less about acquiring skills, but more about finding the courage to overcome those barriers. All right and yes. So ultimately, the challenge isn't about learning authenticity. It's about having the clarity, having the courage to stay true to who you are, no matter the circumstances. You know, authentic leadership isn't about following steps. It's about making conscious choices every single day to live and lead in alignment with your true self. So my answer to this question really is not addressing how and what skills you acquire to be authentic leader. It's about you have the clarity and you have the courage to really stay true to yourself and taking actions, make decisions, along with your core values and principles.
Speaker 2:Yep, I think it basically boils down to who you are. Bordering around authenticity is also vulnerability If you're comfortable in your own skin. You made a great point saying that the fear of judgment If that fear is taken away, you can be your own self. And having said that, catherine, the reality of that is also there. Is that evaluation of who you are, as a leader, ceo, whatever it is, on a day in, day out basis. How does an individual get over that particular piece of? While I'm being recognized, evaluated, at the same time I want to be my own self. How do you kind of get out of that dichotomy?
Speaker 1:I don't think it's a conflict history. It's actually you need to be my own self. How do you kind of get out of that dichotomy? I don't think it's conflict history. It's actually you need to be aligned all the time your true self and decision making and serving the organizations. Because if you feel like, okay, I want to be myself and I cannot serve the organization, I cannot drive the good results, no, it doesn't make sense. You have to be aligned all the time, otherwise how can you be sustainable? You feel like, oh, I tackle the pressures, I want to achieve the financial results, I abound my principles and the core values. You know, I don't think it's the way of leading.
Speaker 1:It not applies to any leaders in any situation, right? No matter, it's the 21st century, 23rd century? No, it's not about the time, it's not about situation, it's unconditional. Stay third century. No, it's not about the time, it's not about the situation, it's unconditional. Stay true to yourself. Achieve the alignment between your core values and organizational goals. If you feel like one day that, okay, how come my core values, principles doesn't serve the organizational goal anymore, doesn't serve the organizational vision and mission anymore, ask what makes this happen. Uncover the root cause. Even now the problem is and mission anymore. Ask what makes this happen. Uncover the root cause. Even now the problem is not surfacing, it will come out, happens sooner or later. Right, if it's not alignment, it means the problem, a significant problem, significant negative impact, will occur sooner or later.
Speaker 2:I think that's the key, that alignment is the key, and close on the heels that alignment is the key, and close on heels of that alignment is courage. I love how you have kind of got all of these three things together. One is authenticity, second is courage. The third one is the servant leadership. So let's talk about courage. Right, I need to be aligned and it deserves a bit of, or demonstrates a bit of, courage as a leader. The courageous leadership often involves taking risks. That is what courage is always associated with. What is the most courageous decision that you have made in your career or you have seen leaders who have made in their careers and what lessons have you learned from taking those courageous decisions?
Speaker 1:So I'm happy to share a little bit. I think the most courageous decision in my career was transitioning from a secure corporate leadership role to becoming a trained executive coach and, as you introduced at the beginning of our conversation, so I had about 16 years of corporate work experience before I became a trained coach. Right, I worked in IBM, because before I became a trainer coach, right, I worked in IBM, cisco and Siemens and I was, you know, my last role in corporate was with Siemens, I had the Asia Pacific regional leadership position. So that to me, because I was very comfortable in corporate and I did well and I love working with a group of intelligent people rather than, you know, on my own right, so enjoy everything. But then I feel like there's some calling. There's some calling that is so strong that if I stay in the corporate, you know, even achieve the global CEO one day. So what? I'm asking that? Because when I talk to peers and leaders and most of them are struggling with finding the self, finding that, you know, stick, hear their inner voice and can be, and then struggle to how to amplify their inner voice to make some impact, right, so one day I put everything together and had the chance to encounter the coaching you know, know the domains, the experiences and realize that, okay, I want to become one of them. So transition from the sexual corporate leadership role to becoming a training executive coach is, I think it's one of the courageous decisions I make. It means leaving behind the stability right, stepping into the unknown to pursue a purpose-driven path of empowering others.
Speaker 1:You know, the lessons that I've learned could be a few. One is that the clarity fuels the courage. When I just dropped my corporate career, it's not that I wasn't uncertain, I was uncertain I didn't know what was going to happen going to lay ahead of me because I'd never done it before. But the clarity is so strong. Clarity really propels me to pursue this path, right Understanding my deep purpose, giving me the strength to embrace uncertainty. For the second lesson I've realized is the growth lies in discomfort. The discomfort Growth actually stems from discomfort Because the leap challenged me in unexpected ways. It challenged me all the time, but it helped me discover my untapped potential. Without this change I don't think I was able to know I could do so much. So that's growth. You know, less in discomfort. The third lesson would be impact over with fear, seeing the transformation in the leaders I coach on a daily basis, we affirm that taking risk for meaningful impact has always worked well. This is the lessons I have learned.
Speaker 2:It's a nice four-step process for lessons that you're called out One. You start off with a purpose, Then clarity drives courage, Growth happens out of discomfort, Growth doesn't happen in the comfort factor and if there's impact then fear automatically gets released. So very lowly set of processes out there. I want to draw your attention on one element of it. You've mentioned that if you draw clarity then courage automatically kind of comes through. How did you go about getting that process? How did you kind of get to a point where the clarity became more and more clear? And the reason I ask this is that is where a big holding back happens. If you don't have the clarity, you cannot take that first step forward.
Speaker 1:Yes, there's a few key approaches, you know, leaders can take to cultivate the courage right and make bold decisions. You know the first, of course as I mentioned clarify the purpose. You know, this is the fundamental. Without it, I don't think we can move forward, right? So ask yourself why we want to challenge normals. You know, because we have a strong purpose to pursue. Right. There's a compelling reason for us to summon courage and do something differently. Because without taking actions, we're not able to sleep, we're not able to continue. Right. The inner calling is so strong it means the purpose is so strong that we can't ignore it.
Speaker 1:And when you deeply understand why you're making a change, it becomes easier to overcome fear and take bold steps. So the first step is you must have a clear purpose. And the second embrace discomfort. When you make bold decisions, you may naturally feel discomfort because you've never done it before. It's not in your comfort zone, especially when you make a bold decision means you're uncertainly less ahead. You need to create awareness and face the discomfort head on. Remember that courage is not about the absence of fear. It's about acting in spite of it.
Speaker 1:And then the third is seek diverse perspectives. Surround yourself with people who challenge your thinking and bring fresh ideas. This step can help broaden your perspectives and then boost your confidence and, of course, strengthen your resolve to take a calculated risk, you know. And next I would recommend is to reflect on the impact you want to create. Right, sometimes, when we face challenges, we face uncertainties, when we encounter roadblocks and obstacles, so we forgot the impact we want to create. So remind yourself to reflect on the impact, to focus on the long-term positive change, because it helps you stay true to your values and vision, even when faced with short-term challenges or obsessions. When you align your actions with the greater good, with the impact, the positive impact you create, you prioritize meaningful progress over temporal gain. So this will foster the conviction and resilience in yourself and that is the essential for courageous leadership.
Speaker 1:And I also encourage everyone to build supportive environments. You know, when you have people around you to support you, to help you, when you are down, when you nearly fall right, you have them around you to lift you up and also foster culture. We are questioning the status quo in organization, in the environment you work in and taking risk. Then, when you have a supporting environment, you know and you're not just so when you are seeing the status quo and taking risk, actually encouraged and supported and not penalized, right? So, having a supporting environment, a supportive environment, create a psychological safety for you to embrace support leadership as well. Embrace support leadership as well.
Speaker 1:And the last part, probably most important one, develop your brain power in order to cultivate the courage to to challenge norms, to challenge the state school. When I say develop your brain power here I specifically mean to grow the size of your anterior middle cingulate cortex. It's come to technical because our brains are different layers, right? So the anterior middle cingulate cortex is a layer in cingulate cortex areas. It's about brain science. I'm not a trained brain scientist and I don't intend to become one, but I have learned a great deal about brain science as it directly contributes to the effectiveness of executive coaching.
Speaker 1:The anterior medial cingulate cortex is located in the cingulate cortex area of the brain and the size of it contributes to the development of courage.
Speaker 1:Why we say that? Because the interior middle cingulate cortex plays key roles in emotional regulation, in resilience and decision-making and pressure, and those are the essential qualities for courageous leadership. And those are the essential qualities for courageous leadership. So if you see someone who doesn't, for example, who don't like eating the vegetable but eats salads on a daily basis and they like to have a large size of anterior medial cingulate cortex. Someone who doesn't enjoy working out but still goes to the gym a few times a week, and their anterior medial cingulate cortex is probably larger as well. So come to the question how can you grow your anterior medial cingulate cortex? Engage in activities that you don't enjoy or find particularly challenging, because those activities get you out of your comfort zone and will help increase the sense of the anterior medial cingulate cortex and you would likely become more courageous in your leadership and the actions. All right, so that's why the last point is to develop your brain power.
Speaker 2:That's something new, something different that I've heard developing your brain power and you're basically kind of calling it out, saying that to do things that you're uncomfortable, do things that you don't like doing, that will help you to kind of improve your brain power.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, Absolutely. You know, sometimes we feel like you know, when we face new things right, we're so uncomfortable, we're so fearful of stepping into it. But once we take a challenge to try it, once we start, gradually we find it more and more easier.
Speaker 2:And that's a great, great line that you called out, saying courage is not absence of fear. Courage is doing things despite having that fear. That's courage. How beautiful it is.
Speaker 1:I can talk about the courageous leadership in days and months. You know, and that's one of my goals, to write a book about courageous leadership, because look at the nowadays right, Everything is uncertain, Everything is challenging. You know, change is constant. It's anything we want to create, you know, anything new we want to create any significant positive impact we want to drive. We must, you know, embrace the courage. We must embody our courageous leadership. You know, courageous leadership basically is self-leadership. It means encouraging yourself to step out of the comfort zone, to be bold, to be courageous, to try something new, to really drive the progress and pave the way towards the goal you want to achieve.
Speaker 2:Cathy, if you were to kind of give one recommendation, one small action that the listeners of this podcast can take to demonstrate courageous leadership, what is that one small action that you would recommend?
Speaker 1:I would say yes, reflect on the reason Again. Clarify the purpose, right. Reflect on it, because sometimes the reason is so compelling You're not able to let it go. Sometimes it will wake you up at night you couldn't sleep right and it consumes you so much. It means your purpose is so strong and once you feel like, and you feel like, oh no, I don't know what to do, but you're going to figure out, you know you're going to figure out how to do so. First step is the purpose. Clarify the purpose, the fundamental. Never forget about why you do it.
Speaker 2:Hey listeners, did you know? Never forget about why you do it.
