Working in a large banking organization in Romania taught Doinita Leahu that leadership wasn’t just about position, but rather contribution. Although she was just starting her career, she felt her natural inclination to training and development take root—whether it was explaining the art of financing or how invoices were mapped in a system, she discovered she loved helping others. When she emigrated to the U.S., she needed to learn English quickly. So she started working in restaurants, interacting with customers and connecting with others while building a new life for herself and her family. The restaurant became her classroom. While that was her initial reason for pivoting into the industry, the people she met and the sense of purpose she garnered made her stay and continue climbing from store manager of a local restaurant to director of operations at Chick-fil-A, leveraging her background in finance with her newfound passion for people leadership. “Because of my background, I approach leadership with a lot of empathy. I know what it feels like to start anew, in a place with a new culture and language and build confidence step by step,” Leahu says. “I know how it feels at the beginning of your career. I know how to walk beside people step by step in their journey, because I lived it when I was in their shoes.” She moved quickly from operations leadership to shaping training and development across a rising brand’s whole system. Leahu assumed the role of director of training for…
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