CYNTHIA EKBERG TSAI: A GLOBALLY ACCLAIMED FIGURE EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE-CENTRIC LEADERSHIP

In today’s cutthroat world, the word “leadership” is often used loosely. People assume its power but overlook the responsibility it entails. As a leader, you should be clear about what you wish to achieve: the well-being of your people or your business goals! While both are critical components for effective business management, your leadership style speaks volumes about your underlying priorities. Leaders who emphasize the well-being of people bring a whole host of benefits to the table. Successful leaders, those we idolize, have found immense value in this notion of forging vital partnerships that pave the way for innovation and advance the industry. 

In fact, their vision of collective growth is one of the key differentiators that keeps them ahead of their peers. Their ability to delegate responsibilities, adapt to scenarios, always be on a learning curve, and, of course, be a multi-tasker outshines the traditional concept of leadership. The following characteristics are found in both entrepreneurs and globally acknowledged leaders, as people-centricity is recognized as an effective leadership system across industries.

Our magazine has always found leadership and its unique evolutions to be fascinating. In that light, our search for extraordinary leaders led us to Cynthia Ekberg Tsai, CEO of Tana Systems. Her leadership solidifies the development of close relations based on sincerity, honesty, and curiosity. The following cover article offers her perspectives on why leaders should emphasize people.

AN EXTENSIVE LEADERSHIP BACKGROUND 

Cynthia places a strong emphasis on people as the assets that can define or ruin a business. She has spent over four decades donning multiple hats across various industries. She is one of the early biotech leaders who sought to make a profound transformation in people’s lives. When women were unsuccessful in penetrating the walls of Wall Street, she broke the ceiling and became a successful insider, outperforming the firm’s icons with distinction. Constantly moving forward, she always faced challenges head-on and created extraordinary teams, partnerships, and friends who taught her the importance of exceptional leadership.

While accumulating knowledge, she harnessed a fearless commitment to innovation tempered by the collective judgment of her teams. “I am incapable of seeking other’s participation without first turning every page, being informed and drawing honest conclusions,” states Cynthia. In each of her tenures, she has imprinted her name on a global level. Eventually, she became fascinated by how the world of finance offers unique opportunities to visionaries. She sought to link finance with innovation, and Tana Systems provided her with the opportunity. As its CEO, she leads a strong global network of engineers across the US and India and is responsible for business development in the US. 

FORMING TANA SYSTEMS

“It was luck by chance!” remarks Cynthia. She attributes the genesis of Tana Systems to happenstance. She was at a tech conference in Chicago, where she met a successful tech entrepreneur leading multiple companies. As he was enjoying his moment, Cynthia walked up to him to meet him. As expected, she had an insightful conversation with him for over an hour. They exchanged thoughts and shared many business interests that were in common. He even invited her to India to meet his fervid team of technologists, engineers, and acclaimed scientists. She was fascinated by the unique personalities of the innovators that worked to commercialize the technology. Together, they sought to give this team a more professional stature, bringing Tana Systems into the light.  

At the outset, Cynthia embodied the essence of working on a collaborative model, which translated the company’s approach to ensuring optimal client satisfaction. Their focus on building mutually sustainable relationships has earned them a place amongst top-tier financial firms around the globe. The network comprises self-motivated individuals. They seek to challenge and thrive on being the first to elevate innovations.

POSITIONED TANA SYSTEMS AS A GLOBAL LEADER

Tana Systems is a global IT service company that offers cost-cutting solutions, allows firms to focus solely on their core strengths, and responds wisely to growth prospects. The company provides reliable insights to address issues unique to the sector, such as expanding product reach, managing enterprise applications, hosting developmental lifecycles, finding the top IT talent, or staying relevant to the market. But as competitive as the global IT domain is, it’s important to understand what makes the company exclusive. Tana Systems connects clients with a network of business experts in a variety of sectors, including software development, hospitality, telecommunications, logistics, financial services, and healthcare. This is how the company goes beyond traditional advisors and aggregators, carving a niche. Its consultants address business concerns using design thinking to reimagine solutions that endow clients with the tools to excel in their industry. 

When Cynthia donned the hat of its CEO, she realized she needed to be sharper, more intelligent, and more capable than others. After all, she was responsible for managing very substantial financial assets. But she didn’t buckle! Instead, she upheld her responsibility with an incredible ability to gain an audience with almost any celebrity client or customer and worked harder than anyone else would. This ability has helped her negotiate multi-million-dollar contracts for the company. Even though managing it all has been stressful, Cynthia has a thick skin, which has helped her strive for constant innovation while being resilient to disruption and become a successful businesswoman.

CARVING HER PATH ON DISRUPTIVE IDEAS

As a globalist, Cynthia ascertains every business opportunity as a steppingstone. Her experience across industries helps her diligently focus on her role. It is a prerequisite to marshalling the resources to launch an idea across the chasm. In fact, it is how she has helped the global network of software engineers be one step ahead with a provincial perspective. They are selected from a global talent pool with demonstrated expertise in providing disruptive products and services. 

The comparative advantages of superior competency and optimal cost structures benefit shareholders, customers, and employees. In the end, 500 highly skilled engineers in India, led by a female leader in the US—that speaks volumes about her innovative mindset and cross-functional leadership. The sheer horsepower presented by the Indian engineers would struggle without the cultural lens and business leadership that Cynthia brings into play. It’s a daunting combination that the competition strains to match.

A PARADIGM OF EMPOWERMENT

Throughout her multi-faceted career spanning diverse fields and at various stages of the company, she has inspired entrepreneurs, helping them understand what they need to grow, flourish, and succeed. She emphasized the fine amalgamation of creativity, skills, capabilities, and resources to create value for others. This also contributed to her efficiency in networking, building relationships, and collaborating with people. It’s how any individual can successfully navigate through any obstacle in their way.

Cynthia’s appreciation of culture and variation in human experience substantially extends to women’s empowerment. As someone who made her name on Wall Street in an age of patriarchy, she advises women entrepreneurs in the tech space to focus on the aesthetics of connecting with people and staying confident, prepared, and visionary. Cynthia excels at celebrating differences, which unlocks opportunity with enthusiasm and energy. Her straightforward leadership and authenticity have been the reasons behind her success.

ENVISIONING A RESOURCEFUL FUTURE 

By being introspective, staying relevant, and forging connections, Cynthia rose to the zenith of success. Given how the current business world is thriving, she believes that it’s all about being global. But to lead globally, businesses need to leverage technology to share their mission and vision. In that light, she seeks to continue being a mentor and guide, empowering global entrepreneurs. This will allow her to learn from business leaders around the world working on solving multifarious challenges with novel solutions. This will also help in making strategic innovations to speed up success for young companies.

Furthermore, as the CEO of Tana Systems, she seeks to continue to empower businesses to have a strong foothold in the ever-growing digital world. In the end, Cynthia seeks to transcend the conventional boundaries of leadership, creating an environment that nurtures people’s talent and innovations simultaneously.

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