The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

481: Former CEO of AT&T Business, Anne Chow, on How to Lead Bigger

Sep 9, 2024

Anne Chow, former CEO of AT&T Business and author, shares her vast leadership insights. She discusses her transformation from an engineer to a leader, highlighting core values shaped by her immigrant background. The conversation delves into navigating organizational politics with emotional intelligence and balancing results with relationships. Anne emphasizes the importance of leading inclusively and humanity's role in modern leadership, especially for younger generations. Her 'Lead Big' framework advocates for a holistic approach to driving impact in work and workplace dynamics.

52:19

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Episode guests

Anne Chow

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Effective leadership requires understanding one's origins and core values, which shapes adaptability and diverse experiences over time.

Commitment to inclusion and continuous personal development enhances leadership by elevating diverse voices and fostering collaboration for greater impact.

Deep dives

The Journey of Leadership

A significant aspect of effective leadership is understanding one’s origins and the foundational values that shape a leader's journey. The speaker shares their story as a second-generation American, emphasizing the influence of immigrant parents who instilled a strong work ethic and core values. Starting their career as a network engineer at AT&T, they navigated through 17 different roles over 32 years, which allowed them to develop a deep understanding of the telecommunications industry. This journey underscores the importance of diverse experiences and adaptability in developing leadership qualities.

Intro

2min

From Engineer to Leader: A Personal Renaissance

8min

Navigating Organizational Politics

24min

Balancing Results and Relationships in Leadership

5min

Leading with Humanity and Adaptability

10min

Key Insights on Inclusive Leadership and the 'Lead Big' Framework

3min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 481, an interview with the author of Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion, Anne Chow. In her book, Anne shows us how we can all learn to leverage inclusion far beyond DEI to elevate our work, workforce, and workplace. Lead Bigger offers a no-nonsense approach to leading outside of traditional parameters that challenges us all to “lead bigger” by seeking a broader impact, embracing the whole of your team beyond the workplace, and engaging in self-reflection.

As the former CEO of AT&T Business, Anne Chow was the first woman and first woman of color to hold the position of CEO at AT&T in 2019, overseeing more than 35,000 employees who collectively served 3 million business customers worldwide during her time there. She is currently the Lead Director on the board of Franklin Covey, serves on the board of 3M and CSX, and teaches at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. You can listen to Anne on Harvard Business Review’s Race at Work, WFAA and MSNBC.

Get Anne’s new book here: https://rb.gy/965ygk

Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion

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