I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Sanyin Siang, Executive Director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) at Duke University. She has more than 1 million followers on LinkedIn and wrote “The Launch Book: Motivational Stories for Launching Your Idea, Business, or Next Career.” Sanyin received a BSE in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Duke University. In 2021, she was ranked by Thinkers50 as the world’s top coach & mentor, and in 2023, inducted into its Coaching Hall of Fame. She has been an advisory board member with the Congressional Award Foundation since 2019.
In the field of leadership, she is a prime example of the spirit of resilience, curiosity, and authenticity. With a mission to “enable greatness in others,” Mrs. Siang’s journey includes unexpected twists and a commitment to lifelong learning. Mrs. Siang’s path was shaped with moments of self-discovery and resilience.
Reflecting on her journey, she shares:
"The older I get, the more I realized that we can't always control whether we achieve something because there are so many other factors beyond our control."
Her journey began at Duke University, where she studied Biomedical Engineering, hoping to become a doctor. However, a setback in college steered her away from her original career aspirations. After college, she found herself exploring new opportunities in Washington D.C. where she worked at the intersection of science, policy, and law and even thought of going to law school. However, this changed after a chance encounter with a financial analyst on a bus.
She remembers:
"A conversation with a stranger led to a suggestion that completely changed my trajectory."
After that conversation she decided to go to business school. This willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities became a recurring theme in her life, guiding her towards new avenues of growth and exploration.
Additionally, serendipity followed her onto social media. After reading an interesting article online she reached out to the editor, and they later met in person and cultivated a friendship. Later, when the editor joined LinkedIn’s editorial team, she invited Mrs. Siang to be her first LinkedIn influencer designee. At first, Mrs. Siang was hesitant to do so, but realized that to be successful and connect with her audience she must focus on making her content authentic and helpful to the reader. That authenticity has brought her to over 1 million followers on LinkedIn.
Her posts emphasize the importance of relevance:
"The reader is the hero of every post. So, how do I make this post something that can make them think?"
Through her engaging content, she fosters a sense of community and connection among her followers.
As a coach and mentor, she finds it important to “ask for help” and maintain a growth mindset, recognizing that:
"What's true today doesn't have to be true six months from now."
Mrs. Siang believes in the power of building relationships. She emphasizes the importance of being present in conversations and fostering genuine connections with others. She continues to mentor past students stating:
"Relationships and character are everything."
Through her own journey, she has learned that:
"The conversations that have taken me leaps forward in my career are never the planned ones... It's always the ones where you're just present and authentic."
Through her work and her words, she continues to inspire others to embrace their own journeys and unlock their full potential. She builds on her leadership skills by meeting new people and reading articles. It was a pleasure getting to know her and an honor to interview her. I learned so much from her! In this experience, I learned a profound lesson about serendipity. It highlighted the unpredictable nature of life’s opportunities. For instance, my chance to interview Mrs. Siang stemmed solely from my role as a Congressional Award Ambassador, showcasing how serendipity can unexpectedly open doors.
Highlights from the interview: My Favorite Teachings
Q: So, tell me about yourself? What sparked your interest in business and wanting to enable greatness in others?
– “I found it more energizing and actually more within our scope of control to help cheer on others, enable their greatness, and help see their superpowers. So, my original interest in business … was serendipitous.”
Q: I just wanted to ask you, since you have such a large following on LinkedIn, what strategies do you employ to ensure your content remains impactful and engaging while also nurturing a sense of community amongst your followers?
– “Let’s define success right now. If you make five people think it is a success…. don’t focus on the number of followers. Focus on content. What can you bring to the table that will really help people.”
Q: Then you were talking about how, when you were started, you started posting on LinkedIn, you were sharing what others were also sharing with you, is that kind of what inspired you also to write your book?
– “We write books, not because we have answers. We write books because we’re in search of answers to questions that we have.”
Q: What practices do you follow to ensure your own continuous growth and learning as a leader? How do you build up on each moment?
– “It’s relationships, right? You get inspired and you discover, you notice like the frailty and the beauty of life. And that to me is magical. “
Q: I know you have coached many CEOs, and students. What has that taught you about your own leadership style and how you have approached different challenges?
– “One, is you really have to care about people. And then the other is, your character matters, your virtues, and we are shaped by the people that we keep, and you can affect culture. Culture is the environment that will shape the character of your people and yourself.”
Q: So, you talked about failure in college, but how do you think that has shaped your entire career?
– “One key learning moment was to ask for help … and have a growth mindset… I had a fixed mindset.
– “I think, those experiences forced me to have a growth mindset because the fixed mindset was, I am smart. I’m defined by smarts. Oh my gosh, I failed So I’m no longer smart. Therefore. What am I? The thing is, I’m still me…. I am a good learner. So, whatever I don’t know, I can ask for help, and I can learn it. …..What’s true today doesn’t have to be true six months from now.”
My name is Maya Srikantan. I am a Congressional Award Ambassador for the 2023-2024 year. This interview highlights the importance of relationship building and being open to the unexpected. As a youth ambassador I learned a valuable lesson: opportunities will come up when you least expect them to and it’s important to take advantage of them.