Connecting to Humanity and Unlocking Opportunities

Who is Aarash Darroodi?

Aarash Darroodi is General Counsel, Executive Vice President, and Corporate Secretary of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, one of the world’s global leaders in manufacturing instruments and amplifiers. 

He grew up in Iran with his grandparents and was able to move to his parents in the USA at the age of 7. His background and experience with immigration to the US shaped who he is today. With a background spanning over 19 countries, he connects cultures across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and beyond. His endeavors resulted in Fender's largest acquisition of PreSonus Audio Electronics. Darroodi attributes his success to several factors, including taking a Dale Carnegie course while he was a teenager. 

What will You Learn?

Aarash offers key pieces of advice that are core to his success and ingrained in his philosophy of life:

• Become a Storyteller: Uncover the art of crafting impactful stories that resonate with people's emotions and drive engagement.
• Navigate Cross-Cultural Teams: Gain strategies for fostering understanding and collaboration across diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Execute Innovative Leadership Strategies: Explore unconventional yet effective approaches to leading teams and driving innovation.
• Grow Through Networking: Learn how building authentic connections can be a catalyst for personal and professional growth.
• Make Strategic Decisions: Explore methodologies for making informed decisions that lead to strategic outcomes.
• Apply Adaptive Learning Techniques: Discover techniques for adapting your learning style to various contexts and challenges.
• Be Resilient in Adversity: Explore ways to cultivate resilience and thrive in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

Leadership Style & Story Summary

Unleashing Hidden Potential: Darroodi believes in humans' hidden potential. Often, external encouragement is needed to tap into greatness beyond imagination. He believes people are more capable than they think, and we all need someone to push us to go out of our comfort zone. When building a team, he seeks those who have a story, not just a great resume, those who overcame difficulties & challenges and showed resilience.

The Power of Learning: Daarrodi advises us to embrace constant discovery and to engage with novel concepts and people. He treasures wisdom from mentors, focusing on punch lines & pivotal phrases engraved in memory.

Nurture Growth: Darroodi champions empowering leadership. He promotes intercultural understanding, values GenZers, and dismantles hierarchical structures. As a guide, he aids individuals in pursuing their distinct North Star goals. He advises working with team members and learning from them.  Leaders and employees should learn about cultures and make a conscious effort to engage with the GenZers. When he works with individuals, he immediately asks them to figure out what they want to achieve in their lives and empowers everyone to have the freedom to share their ideas.

Leadership Style: His role as a leader is to guide, advise, and help teams achieve and reach where their North Star is. Aarash helps his team to get closer to whatever that North Star goal is. ”I see it more as a guide. That's how I see leadership.”

Join us and listen to Aarash's leadership insights about unleashing hidden potential, lifelong learning, and nurturing personal and professional growth.

Thought Leadership Segment

In today's Thought Leadership Spotlight segment, we welcome the President of Dale Carnegie of Arizona, Ken Beyersdorf, and highlight the core value of aligning actions with goals by applying one of the Dale Carnegie principles: "If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically”. Like Aarash, our guest emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision and evaluating actions to achieve that vision. 

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