This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

In this insightful interview, Andy Mackin, CEO and founder of the Mackin Group, shares his journey from the Irish Navy to founding a global professional organization.

With a focus on environmental health and safety consultancy, Andy discusses the pivotal moments that shaped his leadership style and the unexpected turns that led to the growth of his company.

He reflects on the importance of maintaining a positive outlook, setting achievable goals, and prioritizing personal well-being.

Join us as Andy shares his wisdom on leadership, growth, and the transformative power of changing habits.

Whether you're navigating a career shift or seeking inspiration to take your business to new heights, Andy's story offers valuable lessons for leaders at every stage.

You can find Andy Mackin at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymackinceo/
• http://www.mackinconsultancy.com/

In the interview, Andy shares

• "Life went on, and time went on. I've learned to live with that."
• "It probably shaped my character in terms of just having a more positive outlook in life in general and seeing the good things for what they really are."
• "It was a contrast in style for sure, but by the time my retirement came up, I probably had about four or five regular clients that I was dealing with."
• "If somebody told me we'd be where we are now 20 years ago, I would have said, 'No, you're mad.'"
• "Every year you do well, you want to improve the following year."
• "I always had a vision. I always want to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. That's my North star."
• "Success for me is having a good balanced life, enjoying life, enjoying the work you're doing every morning."
• "I always had a vision and I still have it. I always want to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange."
• "The meditating definitely calms the brain, allows you to have a little more focus, and be clear-minded."
• "Look, if you can do this, you can get beyond just living with magic."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

In this insightful interview, Geeta, MD/CEO of Publicis Resources, shares her remarkable journey from the general insurance sector to leading operations for one of India's top companies.

She discusses the pivotal role her son's passion for cricket played in her decision-making, drawing compelling parallels between motherhood and leadership.

Geeta emphasizes the importance of mentorship, self-motivation, and continuous learning, offering invaluable advice on achieving excellence both personally and professionally.

Her candid reflections on balancing family life, career growth, and personal passions provide invaluable insights for leaders navigating similar challenges.

Get ready to be inspired and empowered as Geeta shares her secrets to success and fulfillment.

You can find Geeta Gadekar at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/geeta-gadekar-24444b5/
• geeta_pd@rediffmail.com

In the interview, Geeta shares

• "I started off with the general insurance side in India, then moved to the BPM industry. My journey continued into captive shared services, working with organizations like Principal Global Services, WNS, Thomas Cook, and now Publicis Resources."
• "As a mother, I've learned that parenthood and leadership share many parallels. My father taught me the importance of independence and exploring all aspects of life, which has greatly influenced my journey as a mother and a leader."
• "When my son showed a passion for cricket at the age of five, we faced a crucial decision: studies or sports. We chose to support his passion early on, which led us to Mumbai, where he could explore his potential."
• "In both my personal and professional life, I believe in pushing people to be their best selves. Whether it's my son pursuing cricket or my team achieving excellence, mentorship and belief in one's potential can shatter any ceiling."
• "I believe that a leader is as good as their team. It's not about taking credit for individual accomplishments, but about empowering and guiding your team to reach their full potential."
• "For me, career decisions aren't just about titles or money. It's about learning, adding value, and leaving a legacy. I constantly strive for excellence and encourage my team to do the same."
• "Self-motivation is key. Whether it's in professional or personal life, finding internal drive and setting high standards for oneself is crucial for growth and success."
• "Communication, leading by example, and ensuring that teams are aware of their potential are crucial for creating a culture of excellence within an organization."
• "Every six months, I reflect on my personal and professional goals to ensure that I'm aligned with where I want to be. Self-assessment and reflection are vital for personal and professional growth."
• "As a leader, mentorship is important to me. In the next 10 years, I aim to focus more on mentoring young professionals, especially women, helping them navigate the corporate world and achieve their goals."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Juhi, founder and CEO at Divin Grow Private Limited and Divin Pro Foundation, as she shares her journey of empowering women through employment and social impact.

From her family's four-generation legacy of women's empowerment to her vision of becoming one of the most respected organizations globally by 2040, Juhi's story is a testament to perseverance and purpose-driven leadership.

Discover how she balances practical business strategies with her mission to create meaningful change, and learn valuable insights on leadership, financial empowerment, and prioritizing responsibilities.

Tune in for an episode packed with wisdom, passion, and actionable advice for leaders striving to make a difference.

You can find Juhi Garg at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-juhi-garg/
• http://www.divinpro.com/

In the interview, Juhi shares

• "My great grandmother and her grandmother were working for women tirelessly before independence. This purpose is perhaps in my genes, and I don't credit myself for anything."
• "To be a leader, you must learn the art of following your purpose and listening to your inner call. And of course, learn from the worthy people around you."
• "Just be a parent, take leadership as a parenting job. If you take care of your employees' hearts, if you can empathize with them, everything will fall in place."
• "My clients are my investors. I have not raised any funds from any other party. I have not taken any loans. People believe in causes and good causes."
• "By 2040, I would like to be one of the most respected organizations across the globe. Respect doesn't come easily; you need to prove yourself at every step."
• "I would like to be more financially apprised and sensitized so that I can achieve what I want. I still feel that I somehow lack that now, and I am working towards that."
• "Perhaps my biggest strength is building institutions, teams that stick with me. Having people in my life and bringing them together and keeping them with me is my biggest strength."
• "Create that fertile land wherein you all work and bloom together. Respect differences, be vulnerable, and let people help each other grow."
• "Let people say whatever they want. Let me not doubt at least, let me be confident about myself. If I am confident, if I feel that what I know and what I do not know, I accept gracefully."
• "You need to make choices and take decisions. When you make choices, you will have to understand what is the right thing that is going to help you rise above."
• 
  

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Join us in this insightful conversation with Shak, founder and CEO of VTest, as he shares his journey from being a tester to an entrepreneur.

Shak talks about the inspiration behind starting his software testing company and the invaluable lessons he learned from managing his family business.

With over 20 years of experience in software testing and an MBA in finance, Shak offers unique perspectives on entrepreneurship and leadership.

He discusses the importance of adaptability in today's rapidly evolving business landscape and shares his vision for scaling up while keeping client value and team satisfaction at the forefront.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned leader, Shak's story is sure to inspire and provide valuable insights for your own leadership journey.

You can find Shak Hanjgikar at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/shakhanjgikar/
• https://www.vtestcorp.com/

In the interview, Shak shares

• "The motivation or the first step came from my wife. She used to be working for a recruitment company in New York that recruitment company was trying to build an application. And then we were like, okay, if you're building, they definitely want to test it."
• "I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but obviously we always have that dilemma that fixed salary."
• "The practical part, or let's say the understanding and the groundwork part of the MBA, I did it at my father's business, wherein I knew how to manage resources."
• "If you come from a business family, let's say everything that you do revolves around that business."
• "Scaling up has been on the anvil; there have been merger acquisitions or requests coming in terms of acquiring and so on, but we always kept them on the back seat because we're like, we try to grow ourselves and we try to work ourselves and then see once we get to that stage."
• "Nothing in terms of exit but definitely creating more value for the client. It's also an avenue for us to reward our team members."
• "Hitting the dead end is one of the important things in terms of individual growth. We do not want our senior leaders or any of the leaders to themselves they're dead ends, wherein they will not be able to figure out what they have to do, or whether they are not growing."
• "We do not want to be in that situation. So aligning what the individual wants with what VTEST wants in terms of the VTEST benchmark and the industry benchmark is something that keeps me more engaged in them."
• "In terms of pain point, we typically have the evolving landscape, I would say when things change by the day by the week. Adaptability is one of the challenges."
• "So adaptability is something one of my important, one of my tasks and one of the major of my time goes in finding out or researching or talking to people or talking to senior leaders and connects."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Join us in this insightful interview with Manisha Kumar, Chief Operating Officer at Global Hospitals, as she shares her inspiring journey from an engineering background to leading a group of hospitals in India.

With over 12 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including managing hospitals during the challenging times of COVID-19, Manisha offers invaluable insights into leadership, navigating stereotypes, and the importance of intuition in decision-making.

Her story is not just about overcoming challenges, but also about finding strength in diversity and making a real impact in healthcare.

Tune in to gain practical wisdom for your own leadership journey!

You can find Manisha Kumar at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kumarmanisha/
• manisha.gemini@gmail.com

In the interview, Manisha shares

• "I've been in the healthcare industry for over 12 years now, I've run a lot of hospitals, large multi specialty hospitals, commissioned hospitals from scratch, managed COVID in the worst of times."
• "I was very interested in finance. So I majored in finance and I was trying for a lot of consulting placements, with McKinsey and the likes."
• "Healthcare was and has been, one of the most unrealized industries; it's just been up and up."
• "There were a lot of layers of stereotypes for me initially when I entered. I felt that there was some kind of at least an unconscious bias for somebody who didn't come from a medical background or didn't have that much experience."
• "I decided to play to my strengths and to deepen my learning curve, I moved out of my strategy role."
• "In healthcare, we are a service industry, and it's largely people-driven. Whatever digitization, automation, it's basically a people service industry."
• "I think intuition is very important. So as you were talking about the future, right? This is like there is something ahead for you that you have in your mind. I think more than your mind, if there's something which is more emotional or more heart-based for you."
• "I think for a leader, three things are very key. One is leading by example, which is what I practice, day in and day out. So I take the first step and then have everybody follow me."
• "First, I'll tell you about the COVID time. I think then it was very kind of, we had to think out of the box and think on our feet. We really had to invent solutions at times."
• "I try to detach myself from work as far as possible when I'm in my personal space. Because hospitals, we are a 24 by seven environment. It was inevitable for the first five, six years of my work, I would keep getting calls from work, even in the nights, and I'm continuously embroiled in work."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Join us as we dive into an insightful conversation with Robin, the COO of Avisi, a software development company.

From his early days as a developer to traveling the globe as a consultant, Robin shares his journey and the valuable lessons he learned along the way.

Discover how he mastered the art of flexibility and communication, crucial skills he acquired during his consulting years.

Robin also opens up about the challenges of leadership, emphasizing the importance of transparency and continuous learning.

With a blend of personal anecdotes and professional wisdom, this episode offers practical advice for anyone navigating the complexities of leadership and business.

You can find Robin van Breukelen at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinvanbreukelen/
• https://avisi.nl/

In the interview, Robin shares

• "As a developer, I always had an interest in seeing more of the project than just simply doing the coding."
• "Flexibility is something that you must have as a consultant. Prepare something, but also be flexible around what you're gonna find."
• "It's good to have a plan, but also accept when the fundamentals of your plan have changed."
• "Being a leader is not about pretending to have all the answers, but about being transparent and taking action to make the right choices along the way."
• "Not knowing is the gateway to future learning. If you say 'I know,' then there's no scope for learning."
• "I think if you put in the time, you should be able to learn at least the basics of business. That's how I came to understand finance."
• "One of the benefits is that I'm someone who really wants to know how things work. When I'm confronted with something I don't know, I want to learn."
• "One of the foundational elements of our culture is trust. We give team leads a credit card to buy things for their project, trusting them to make the right decisions."
• "While we grow the company, really focusing on nurturing the culture side of the company is gonna be paramount."
• "I'm most grateful for having the opportunity to fail, make bad decisions, and learn from them without being judged by others."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Dive into an enlightening conversation with James Burstall, Chief Executive of a renowned production group, as he shares his journey from journalism to leading a thriving media empire.

With captivating anecdotes and candid reflections, James unveils the essence of true leadership, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and emotional intelligence in navigating today's ever-evolving business landscape.

Discover valuable lessons on fostering creativity, building resilient teams, and thriving amidst crises, as James offers practical insights drawn from his extensive experience.

Whether you're a seasoned leader or an aspiring entrepreneur, this interview promises to inspire, empower, and equip you with the tools to excel in your own leadership journey.

Tune in for a dose of wisdom, humor, and actionable advice from a visionary leader shaping the future of media and entertainment.

You can find James Burstall at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesburstall/
• https://jamesburstall.com/

In the interview, James shares

• "We are a truly diversified group producing content across all platforms from TikTok to IMAX and everything else in between."
• "I've always liked that kind of entrepreneurial, trying things out and also not having people breathing down my neck and telling me what I can and can't do."
• "Business is not a P and L. Business is a collective of people."
• "Use that as a lesson, what is there in that I need to learn? And in that particular lesson, I needed to learn that you've got to treat your clients, you've got to treat your people with respect, and then they will come back and work with you again."
• "We're living in a time of permacrisis. We are constantly facing these challenges. So we need to be flexible and nimble in our mindset."
• "Emotional intelligence for me is probably one of the most important skills that I have."
• "Being real and being authentic is an essential part of being a leader."
• "My company, Argonaut, will always be there for you. And you can tap in and you can use our expertise as people, our relationships, our skills in legal, commercial, business affairs, editing, PR, HR, we can provide all of those services as the handrail."
• "A lot of my job working with creative people is trying to marry between giving talent, talented people space to do their work and help them where I can to develop their ideas."
• "I wrote it to be a conversation. I wrote it to be purposeful. I wanted to put down in writing our experiences, not just from my group, but from leaders in various sectors who have battled their way through difficult times."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

Embark on a riveting journey with Muhammad Idriss, Executive Director for Alight Sudan, as he shares his remarkable rise from humble beginnings to leading one of Sudan's largest humanitarian organizations.

In this insightful interview, Idriss delves into the profound impact of his early experiences on his decision to pursue a career in humanitarian work.

With over two decades of experience, he offers invaluable leadership lessons, emphasizing the importance of courage, compassion, and continuous learning in navigating the complexities of crisis response.

Discover how Idriss' unwavering dedication to community engagement and mental well-being inspires both his team and the wider world to drive positive change in the face of adversity.

You can find Mohammed Idriss at the below links

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedidriss/
• mohammedmanidrissahmed@yahoo.com

In the interview, Mohammed shares

• "I am Muhammad Idriss, Executive Director for Alight Sudan, but I started from a humble Sudanese background."
• "I joined humanitarian work out of curiosity and because I grew up in a small community where uplifting someone gave hope."
• "My background in public health led me to volunteer, even though it was a job, to work in displaced population camps."
• "Every day in humanitarian work is a combination of devastation, aspiration, and hope."
• "It takes great courage and character to make tough choices in humanitarian work."
• "Listening to people, regardless of education or experience, teaches us something new every day."
• "We need to balance engaging at a high level with understanding the needs of our people on the ground."
• "In humanitarian work, co-creation with the community places us in a better position to understand their needs."
• "Continuous learning, listening, and adapting are essential on this journey of humanitarian work."
• "As leaders, we must prioritize mental health, teamwork, and supporting one another, especially in challenging environments."