Candice Lenkowsky- A Leader Who Always Finds a Way to Stay in the Game

Candice Lenkowsky, Vice President of Worldwide Training and Talent Development for Bristol Myers Squibb is a leader, not a follower. She heard this for the first time at age 14 when her gymnastics coach took her aside and gave her this feedback. Describing herself as a “painfully shy” child, Candice says having the coach she looked up to see her as a leader reframed the way she saw herself.?

By the time she was in college, Candice was taking risks and intentionally seeking leadership positions. She ran for and was elected president of her university’s chapter of the Society for Advancement of Management by laying out an ambitious set of goals for her terms. Candice delivered on these goals which, along with the memory of her coach’s words, has given her the confidence to keep leading.?

Leading does not mean creating “Mini Me’s”?

Candice took her first team leadership position early in her career and immediately ran into an obstacle many managers face: “I wanted everyone to be like me.” Candice quickly learned that trying to make others more like her was ineffective. She realized it was her job as a leader to bring out people’s personal best and to value and capitalize on the diversity within her team. Candice adjusted her approach and worked hard to help her team do their absolute best to deliver results.?

Dare to show you care?

Candice’s career was progressing nicely and her sales team was #1 in the Country, then she got 360 feedback that changed the way she leads forever: one feedback provider commented, “Candice doesn’t care about me as a person.”??

“This comment hurt. I cared a lot, but people did not experience it,” Candice reflects. While this feedback could have knocked Candice off her game, she chose to lean into the discomfort and confront the issue head on. Candice shared with her team all the anonymous 360 feedback she had received and asked them to help her. She let them know she was committed to changing her leadership style and requested their input on how she could show them she cared.??

“Be intentional about showing interest,” was the message Candice heard loud and clear. She put this into action by making small adjustments to her approach, like setting aside time to ask about and really listen to how they were doing before focusing on work and incorporated a people first principle into her leadership style. These small adjustments went a long way in demonstrating empathy and care as a leader.?

Leadership is a balancing act?

With her training as a competitive gymnast, Candice knows a lot about balance. Throughout her career finding balance has been a key focus: balance between work and family, balance between caring about people and driving for results, and balance between having mentors to coach you and sponsors to promote you.?

“I have had mentors throughout my life,” Candice shares, “and I sought out mentors who had found balance for themselves.” Many of these mentors were other women.?

“Wellbeing and balance are now embraced and are part of the gold standard for being a leader.” Candice thinks that while this is true for all leaders, balance remains a greater challenge for women who still take on more at home from childcare to eldercare to household chores. “We are held to the same standard at work despite the unequal playing field that many women still face at home.”? Candice and her husband have worked hard to ensure responsibilities at home are shared and that has helped keep her in the game for over 25 years.???

Whatever you do, stay in the game?

Candice believes good leadership requires empathy, strong communication, listening skills, and the courage to speak up. As long as you stay focused on honing these four skills, Candice believes, “There are always ways to balance and there are always ways to grow. You will learn through all of them.”?

Interested in learning more from Candice? Join NIIT Principal Consultant Pooja Singh Mehta, Candice, and the panel of other women leaders for “From Glass Slippers to Glass Ceilings | Celebrating Women Leaders in Learning” on March 30, 2022 at 10 AM Eastern time. Click here to register.?