Taking a Leap of Faith into How I Serve Best – Interview with Lela Panagides

When I think of the word “resilient”, I think of Lela Panagides. As the President and Founder of Leap Into Leadership and current candidate for City Council in Carlsbad, CA, Lela has faced many challenges and hurdles and won.  Her philosophy is that everything she has seen has brought her to where she is! Having lived in several different countries, worked in corporate, and now running her own business, she has had to take many leaps of faith to get where she is today. Her other philosophy is that once we know better we are accountable for doing better. And she is doing that by putting her hat in the ring as a first-time candidate. You don’t want to miss this interview!

About the Guest:

Lela Panagides provides coaching, leadership development and organizational change consulting for some of the most admired global companies. Her current position as President of Leap Into Leadership, a leadership consulting firm, helps companies manage during major periods of change and transition.

Lela started her career with DAI, an economic development company that at the time was providing technical assistance to countries of the former Soviet Union transitioning to a free-enterprise economy. She later moved to Warsaw, Poland and was a manager in the Human Capital Group for Pricewaterhouse. In her role, she helped recruit and train local talent as well as integrated company talent management practices throughout Europe. When she returned to the U.S., she joined EY as Assistant HR Director with responsibility for human resource, organization development, and integration of EY’s Latin America Tax practices. Five years later, she was recruited for a senior leadership role with Tyco as Director of Training and Organizational Development and spearheaded the Women’s Leadership Council, the first in the company.

It was at Tyco that she met her husband and started a family. Searching for  a more family friendly culture, she joined Microsoft as Director of People and Organization Capability. Her responsibilities included talent development, strategic planning and change management and executive on- boarding and coaching. Ms. Panagides has consistently been rated as an outstanding facilitator, speaker and educator on topics ranging from manager effectiveness to mindfulness at work, from corporate leaders to first responders. She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and has been a featured speaker at the Electronic Security Expo. Ms. Panagides has worked in various industries including: Telecommunications, Information Technology, Healthcare, Security/Law Enforcement, Education, and Non-Profit.

Ms. Panagides has a B.A. from the University of Virginia (Phi Beta Kappa) and an M.B.A. from Indiana University Kelly School of Business. Ms. Panagides was selected as a William Davidson Institute Fellow at the University of Michigan School of Business. She has lived in six countries and continues to deliver outstanding service to her clients and customers around the globe.

With a social conscience orientation, Ms. Panagides gives her time and resources to the San Diego Zoo, PCI Global, the NAACP and other non- profit organizations that promote human dignity and equity. In March of 2019, she was confirmed as Board Chair of Inova International, Inc. a technology company. Lela is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). In 2013, she was selected by the Springfield Business Journal as one of the Most Influential Women.

Lela Panagides is currently running for Carlsbad City Council, District 2. You can find our more about her campaign at www.lelaforcarlsbad.com. Her company website is www.leapintoleadership.com

About the Host:

Laurel Rutledge’s human-centered approach, empathy, and understanding of individual needs make her a top-notch personal advisor and women’s leadership coach.

Her care and compassion have made her an indispensable guide for countless women navigating the next phases of their lives and careers. Add to that her intimate knowledge of the HR landscape, and it becomes clear why her HR clients have had such transformative experiences. Just as Rutledge has helped countless others get out of their rut and off of the ledge, so too can she help you.

After receiving her MBA, Laurel moved from accounting and consulting to human resources, driven by a desire to do good in a business environment. It quickly became apparent that the switch had been a good choice — she flourished professionally and became happier, satisfied with the difference she could make through her work.

After a 30-year career, she left the corporate world, but her passion for HR and helping others has only grown. Now, she works one-on-one with clients, leveraging her experience in leadership and personal development to help them get the most of out their lives and careers.

From her beginnings as a consultant at Deloitte to her time as VP of HR at Covestro, Laurel has seen more sides of the business world than most. She’s achieved technical mastery of HR, with a deep knowledge of the rules and regulations that must be followed.

She’s also a people person, perceptive and outgoing, with a sixth sense for helping others to see the difference between what they want and what they need. The culmination of this is in her personal philosophy: “lead with your heart, act with your head.”

Find out more at: https://laurelrutledge.com

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