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Leaders in the Limelight: LuLu Yang
Myname: LuLuYang
Mycompany: Genentech/Roche
Mytitle: People & Organization Capabilities Strategy Leader
Mylocation: South San Francisco, California
Bestbusiness advice I ever received: To builda high-performing team, you’ll need to worktogether, play together, and break bread together. This advice has served mewell, as you get to know who you’re working with and create a shared sense ofaccountability to one another on a personal level that builds real trust toaccomplish great things.
Mostdaring personal career move: Taking a two-year breakfrom the corporate world and then starting a consulting business with my husbandthat ran for 16 years. Both of us were working crazy hours on executiveteams of two different dot-coms. When we were able to have dinners together,they were at a restaurant named Oliveto’s at 9:25 PM, before the lastcall. We knew our priorities were totally screwed up when during one ofthese late dinners I realized that I had not seen my parents for over six months!They lived just five miles away … not 5,000 miles away! We were so caught upin chasing the financial dream that we lost sight of what was really importantin life.
WhatI’m most proud of: Taking the two-year breakto travel/sail the world with my husband, and having a son during thattime. During our dinners at Oliveto’s we started to dream about sailingaround the world. After many brainstorms we decided to fly around theworld with six boat charters for a year, calling our adventure “The Best WayGoing Upwind Is on a 747.” Right after we paid for everything we found outthat I was pregnant! So the updated plan was three sailing destinationsfor six months instead. My parents, relatives, and friends were able tojoin parts of our adventure along the way. I stayed home after my son was bornand didn’t have to worry about rushing back to work. It was the bestdecision ever!
Currentworkplace challenge: Acceleration of changesfrom digital/disruptivetechnologies and companies. We’ve developed a strategy to meetevolving business needs and befuture-ready, but words are easy. Now the hard work starts aswe actively prepare the workforce/organization with the right skills,knowledge, behaviors, and mindset to meet the challenges along the way.
Somethingpeople don’t know about me: I was on Food Network’s Food Fight, a show that lasted only oneseason in the early days of reality TV cooking competitions.
