Stephanie Chung spent her career in the aviation industry, rising from being a baggage handler to eventually making history as the first African American and second female president of a major private aviation company. During that rise, she was a top sales executive, generating $1B in revenue annually. Stephanie is now a highly sought-after speaker, and her most recent book, <i>Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You</i>, was released in 2024. In this conversation with GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft, Stephanie shares about her leadership journey, and how all leaders of all kinds can learn to be allies of the individuals on their teams.
SUMMARY
Stephanie Chung spent her career in the aviation industry, rising from being a baggage handler to eventually making history as the first African American and second female president of a major private aviation company. During that rise, she was a top sales executive, generating $1B in revenue annually. Stephanie is now a highly sought-after speaker, and her most recent book, Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You, was released in 2024. In this conversation with GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft, Stephanie shares about her leadership journey, and how all leaders of all kinds can learn to be allies of the individuals on their teams.
IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction.
03:30 People who have left a legacy in Stephanie’s life.
06:15 How she got started in the aviation field, and how she moved into leadership positions.
15:30 How did Stephanie’s experience in sales prepare her for executive leadership?
18:00 Discussing Stephanie’s transition from sales into executive leadership.
21:00 How can leaders navigate the tension between wanting people in the office and trusting them to get the job done?
26:15 Stephanie’s experience with working in diverse teams, and what inspired her to write her latest book.
30:30 How aware was Stephanie that she was “the first” African American president of a private aviation company?
34:00 Diving deeper into the content of Stephanie’s book.
40:30 An example from the book of how Stephanie had to meet someone where they were at, and how it impacted her leadership.
46:50 Comments and Takeaways.
LISTEN
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS
- There are always two sides to every story.
- The job is the job, and the mission must be completed.
- A team represents the leader just as much as the leader represents the team. Everybody wins (or loses) together.
- As a leader, set the mission and vision and make it clear, but then step back and let the team do what they do.
- Being in the office does not automatically equate to being engaged. At the end of the day, it’s just about getting the job done.
- When you have people at the table with different upbringings, communication styles, perspectives, races, genders, age, etc., you have an opportunity to have the best of the best and can achieve greater positive outcomes.
- Part of learning to effectively lead those who are not like you is just making leadership easier.
- Allowing your voice to be heard is about being a role model and inspiration for those will follow you.
- There are simple, unavoidable facts about current demographics in the United States, including:
- We have six generations (ages 16-17) currently in the workforce
- Women make up the majority of the population
- Every single ethnic group is growing, while the non-ethnic group is shrinking
- We have increasing amounts of neuro-diverse individuals who are working
- As leaders, it’s our job to set the company up to win by getting different people to the table and leading them effectively.
- It’s a new world, and becoming a great leader today means leading those who are not like you, and the best way to do that is to meet people where they are.
- Leading is hard enough; if we can just truly learn to see everybody as God’s creation—and treated them as such—it would actually make our jobs easier.
LINKS MENTIONED
- Website: Stephanie Chung
- Book: Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You (Amazon.com)
- Website: Team365
- Website: Global Leadership Summit 2025
- Website: Global Leadership Network
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