Raluca Paduraru: “Leadership means leading yourself before leading others”

After almost two decades in leadership, Raluca Paduraru – CX Business Consultant and The Leadership Catalyst – has found her true calling in creating learning experiences and embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey dedicated to training and inspiring the next generation of leaders. Now, Raluca turns challenges into growth opportunities and builds personalized learning experiences specifically designed to help managers make a positive impact in their organizations.

Integrity, empathy, and continuous development are her core values. Raluca firmly believes that honesty and transparency are the pillars of successful relationships, while compassion and mutual support are the elements that connect and strengthen top teams.

For effective people management, Raluca recommends servant leadership, based on continuous learning and the implementation of processes to improve the employee experience – the perfect recipe for keeping people motivated and happy. Exactly how they need to be in order to deliver performance.

C&B: After almost two decades in leadership, you chose to focus on creating learning experiences and developing leaders. What inspired you to make this shift toward entrepreneurship and training?

Raluca Paduraru: Over the years in leadership, I discovered that my true mission is to contribute to the development of future generations of leaders. Of course, I had the opportunity to do this in my previous roles, but my impact was limited to a small number of people, and I wanted to have a broader contribution. I want to support leaders in becoming responsible for their own development because I’ve been there too – thrown into the whirlwind of operations, without a solid learning program and without a support group. That’s why I want to create programs that allow them to deliver performance through their people, without becoming toxic to them.

C&B: You create personalized learning experiences for managers. What are the most important elements you consider when designing these programs, and how do you ensure they have a positive impact on their organizations?

Raluca Paduraru: It all starts with solid research. No impactful development program can exist without 360° interviews or focus groups, depending on the needs, and without a careful analysis of the organizational context. Leadership development isn’t just about covering certain skill gaps; it involves considering the entire context in which those leaders operate – processes, technology, people.

It’s very important that leaders are actively involved in the co-creation process of the development programs that target them because they know best what they need. This way, they become an integral part of these programs and are eager to meet in the room (or online) to work together.

My programs include diverse activities, from collaboration and teamwork to reflection and individual work, to cater to different learning styles and energies participants have. Introverts are also excellent leaders, and we shouldn’t force them to participate in uncomfortable activities, as that won’t help them develop.

Finally, all programs are measured by clear KPIs that we establish together from the beginning, such as reducing staff turnover, improving internal feedback, or increasing internal promotion rates.

C&B: Integrity, empathy, and continuous development are your fundamental values. How do you apply these principles in your daily work, and how do they influence your relationships with the teams and leaders you collaborate with?

Raluca Paduraru: For me, integrity means transparency and honesty in everything I do. I believe that trust is essential in any business relationship, and it is built only through honesty.

Empathy helps me better understand the needs of those I work with and support them in discovering their own resources without offering them pre-packaged solutions.

Continuous development is part of my DNA – I encourage everyone to be open to learning because that’s the only way we can constantly evolve, both personally and professionally. We live in a BANI world (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, Incomprehensible), and rapid adaptation to change is crucial.

C&B: You recommend servant leadership based on continuous learning. How do you help leaders adopt this approach, and how do you explain its benefits for their teams and organizations?

Raluca Paduraru: I first heard about servant leadership when I took Agile Leadership training in London, nearly seven years ago. With surprise and enthusiasm, I noticed that servant leadership comes with healthy principles like supporting the team, creating a space of psychological safety, and encouraging innovation – all bringing a measurable ROI almost instantly.

The best way to demonstrate the benefits is to live these principles daily – people learn by observation. At the same time, servant leadership doesn’t work in every context. In crisis situations, a more authoritative style is needed, but in the long term, servant leadership builds resilient, autonomous, and innovative teams.

C&B: What made you see challenges as opportunities for growth, and how do you encourage your students or teams to adopt this mindset?

Raluca Paduraru: Life has taught me that every challenge, no matter how difficult, is a disguised opportunity to test our limits and reach a higher level of development. I encourage those I work with to see difficulties as training sessions – just as an athlete builds strength, we can develop our skills. The only condition is to step out of our comfort zone and embrace the unknown.

C&B: Employee experience is essential to keeping employees motivated and happy. What processes do you recommend to improve this experience, and how do they contribute to team performance?

Raluca Paduraru: I believe the employee experience is a collective responsibility – from how they are treated in their first days to how they are supported in their professional development. Personalized onboarding, open and transparent communication, access to development opportunities, and creating a safe space for sharing ideas are essential to creating a sense of belonging.

C&B: How do you ensure that honesty and transparency are implemented as foundational pillars in team relationships, and how can these values create strong and lasting teams?

Raluca Paduraru: Honesty and transparency start with the leader. If the leader isn’t afraid to tell the truth, admit when they’re wrong, and be open to feedback, the team will follow suit. I encourage leaders to create clear communication channels and be accessible so that team members feel any topic can be discussed.

C&B: Compassion and mutual support are elements that bind top teams together. How do you build this spirit of collaboration and support in a professional environment?

Raluca Paduraru: Compassion is not just about being nice. It means being attentive to the needs of the people on your team, offering emotional support, and, when necessary, clearly showing them what they need to do to achieve performance. Building this spirit of support is done through personal example – the leader must be the first to offer support without expecting anything in return.