How Saujanya Gosangari Shattered Leadership Myths and Triumphed
Saujanya Gosangari is the Technical Services Director at Alcami, a US-based contract development, testing, and manufacturing organization that makes capsules, tablets, and medicines for pharma and biotech companies. She leads their development process and a team of engineers.
Before Alcami, she had enrolled in a leadership course with her previous employer. The kind of course where "they went through the essential elements," she remarked. After a taste of leadership basics, Saujanuya wanted more.
Luckily, her boss, Louise Hall, is a friend of Brian Alvo, the Founder of the NextGen Center, a practical leadership program. Louise recommended the Foundation for Effective Leadership course to Saujanya to help expand her skills and development.
"I had taken a leadership course before with the basic elements of leadership competencies, but I needed a more reflective course... I had a brush with active listening and feedback in past courses, but the other topics covered in Brian's were new and refreshing."
Saujanya found the CliftonStrengths® assessment particularly insightful. "I had been pumped with so many myths about leadership... I used to think you need to have only certain qualities to be a good leader," she chuckled.
"Don't worry about what you don't have. You need to know what you have and then learn to maximize it, which in turn, will help maximize your leadership potential."
Saujanya used to believe she had to be aggressive or domineering to be a leader. Instead, the course showed her multiple pathways to leadership and types of leaders.
"If you know what your strengths are and if you know how to play to your strengths, that is how you become a good leader," Saujanya said. She added that qualities like emotional intelligence play a key role in leadership and noted that "self-awareness is one thing; that's just half the battle; self-regulation is the next step."
What struck a chord with her was when Brian expressed that leadership has to be purposeful and intentional. She added that these were the little nuances that she didn't deliberately think about day to day. "Brian is such a wonderful facilitator. He helped us think along these lines," making the process of leadership an active and mindful practice.
Did anything surprise you in your StrengthsFinder assessment?
"Intellection and Learner resonated quite well with the person I am, but I didn't consider myself a strategic thinker."
What Saujanya appreciated was the StrengthsFinder follow-up, where she was paired with a leadership coach, Lori, who took her through her assessment results.
"During a strengths-finding session, Lori took each of my strengths and asked me to support them with past examples. She showed me how I had applied my five key strengths."
Saujanya said that she did not realize she had applied those strengths until completing the exercise with her coach.
"It was just very, very eye-opening. It bolstered my overall confidence because, sometimes, in my new role, a more senior role, I am concerned I'm not doing anything tangible."
Saujanya explained that she started her career as a bench scientist doing a lot of hands-on work in the lab. Now, she is guiding and managing a team.
"Okay, I'm a manager, but I have such a good team. My team doesn't even need to be managed. Am I doing anything tangible? What is my contribution here?"
Working with a leadership coach, Saujanya saw examples of her strengths in practice and how her leadership had positively contributed to her team.
She continues coaching sessions with Lori and has a comfortable space to dive into her insecurities, surface them, and work through them with a trusted guide.
Saujanya also appreciates how Lori helps her rationalize and overcome her insecurities without judgment.
"Overall, the course (and coaching) have been personally and professionally very transformative for me."
Active listening is one of the first skills covered in the Foundation for Effective Leadership program.
"What I found was how easily I get distracted in a one-on-one conversation. So I began to recognize those things and set some rules for myself."
Now, she locks her computer screen and silences notifications so her full focus is on the person she's speaking with.
Saujanya also appreciated the multiple perspectives she was exposed to during the program. "The exercises really helped because everyone was from such a unique background. You meet such interesting people. You meet people in the same boat as you and have the same insecurities as you do. You kind of draw from their experiences, too," she remarked.
Most of all, Saujanya has discovered her unique leadership style by doing the strength assessment and by defining her core values. She has been more intentional and uses the coaching model she learned in the program to structure conversations with her team.
On how her perspective on leadership changed:
"Generally, I used to attribute good leadership to a more directorial authoritative style, but after this course, I'm reconsidering that definition. Because as I said before, I am not really someone who's very authoritative or has a type A personality. But yet, I want to go out there and be a good leader. So I just have to continue using what I learned in this course. To become that."
What advice do you have for anyone considering leadership training?
"I used to think, in all honesty, that leaders are born, not created. But it takes practice, just like somebody who's a great dancer or pianist. You might have some natural talent or empathy, but it kind of fades if you don't keep practicing it. You have to want it—for yourself. And you have to develop your confidence little by little.”
"And don't compare yourself. Don't worry about what you don't have," Saujanya punctuated. Instead, she noted that consistent practice leads to outcomes. Furthermore, harboring doubt without a channel for inquiry and practice does not contribute positively to personal growth or career advancement.
Take advantage of the opportunity to grow with a supportive community of like-minded peers guided by an experienced leadership trainer. Learn more about the Foundation for Effective Leadership program today.