- This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 3 months ago by Cory Zhang.
For a very long time, when I thought about leadership, I thought about it in a professional setting and seek development through training programs or coaching. But leadership can also come from everyday life, and often from the people closest to us without us realizing it.
Many year later when I reflect on it, I see how much I have been influenced by my grandmother by her quiet leadership. My grandmother was the eldest with three younger brothers. The way she kept the family together and running was by always showing up for everyone with love, patience, and generosity. From her, I learned that the way we lead in our daily lives— with kindness, understanding, and discipline. She also reminded me that leadership is about doing the right things and being ethical especially during difficult times. That’s how you create long lasting buy-in from the people you lead.
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For a very long time, when I thought about leadership, I thought about it in a professional setting and seek development through training programs or coaching. But leadership can also come from everyday life, and often from the people closest to us without us realizing it.
Many year later when I reflect on it, I see how much I have been influenced by my grandmother by her quiet leadership. My grandmother was the eldest with three younger brothers. The way she kept the family together and running was by always showing up for everyone with love, patience, and generosity. From her, I learned that the way we lead in our daily lives— with kindness, understanding, and discipline. She also reminded me that leadership is about doing the right things and being ethical especially during difficult times. That’s how you create long lasting buy-in from the people you lead.
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So beautifully said, Cory! I strongly relate to your reflection on how leadership shows up in our personal lives. It is usually a bit more subtle but still impactful in a deep sense. Some of the strongest leadership lessons I’ve learned also came from my grandmother (94-year-old now), who had gone through tough moments in her life, from physical to emotional abuse to losing a child… To me, she’s the proven example of leading a resilient life, still filled with compassion, love, and a sense of community, despite all the challenges she has faced.
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My grandmother taught me to lead from a place of faith and fortitude. She is my rock, the woman who raised me, prayed for me, and showed me how to stand tall with grace through the hardest seasons of life. I watched her build strength out of nothing, hold our family together through hardship, and nurture courage where there was fear.
Her leadership was never loud. It showed in the way she served others quietly, held on to hope, and lifted everyone around her. She taught me that leadership is not only about position. It is about resilience, compassion, and choosing love even when life is unkind.
Thank you, Cory, for reminding us that leadership begins at home.
Goksen, your grandmother’s story truly touched me. Leading through pain and still choosing love reflects strength in its purest form. What a powerful example she set.
Omodara, you are absolutely right. Our foremothers led homes, held communities together, and shaped generations. We owe so much to their unwavering spirit.
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Thank you for sharing Cory. When I reflect on my own journey, I realise how profoundly my grandmother shaped my understanding of leadership too. She was a Sanskrit scholar, a classical dancer, and someone whose spirit commanded quiet respect far beyond titles or formal authority. Even when cancer came for her, people were drawn to her grace, strength, and presence until the very end. From her, I learned that true leadership isn’t loud or positional — it’s lived every day through courage, love, and integrity. It’s about how you make people feel seen and safe, and how you hold steady especially in moments of adversity. It’s beautiful to see how our grandmothers, in their own ways, taught us that leadership begins in the heart and shows up in everyday acts of compassion and resilience.
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This resonate so well with me, leading powerfully and calmly even while going to the most difficult moments of life has got to be the hardest but most important thing as leader.Glad some of us had the opportunity to first hand see it from so close and this in return has helped shaped how we lead as well.
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So well express @Cory,
As a young woman struggling between motherhood and the responsibilities of my siblings,it has taught me a lot about leadership especially how quiet,bold and completely loud it can be. Going through memory lane,I can also say the way I lead were taught by mother.The way she handled her children, and children she cared for without even knowing that was leadership as she assumed it was just motherly duties. A lot of us had to grow up observing and gradually learning leadership from the people that were around us and the environment we grew up in.
Thankfully,we both had it similar.
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Cory, this is an aspect of drawing strengths in our own leadership from our essence relating to our ancestors. Before my solo expedition I had not considered how much my ancestors have played a role in becoming the woman I am today. My grandmothers were both strong, compassionate and determined women who overcame extreme challenges throughout their lives. Suffering hardship, bringing up families, travelling from continents and experiencing different cultures. Your post resonates with me so much as I draw inspiration from my ancestors and they truly impact my approach to leading, hopefully this is the same connection for many other women. Thank you for sharing.
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Growing up in India, I deeply relate to the quiet strength of elder women like your grandmother who lead with love and patience every day. Their unwavering care teaches us that true leadership isn’t just in titles—it’s in the simple, consistent acts of kindness and integrity. This story beautifully reminds us that leadership begins at home, shaping who we become.
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