How Great Leaders Are Built, Not Born

Wendy Komadina is a three-time Vice President with over 25 years of experience leading high-performing teams across global technology, cloud, and cybersecurity companies, including AWS, Cloudflare, and Cisco.

As the Founder and Chief Strategist of TechMeForward, Wendy helps global tech companies scale successfully across the Asia Pacific and coaches emerging and established leaders to strengthen their influence, confidence, and commercial impact.

Known for her authenticity, empathy, and practical approach, Wendy blends decades of executive experience with a deep understanding of human psychology and leadership development. She’s passionate about helping leaders “work on themselves before they work on their teams,” and believes that great leaders are built—not born.

My Professional Arc in Four Moves

When people hear my CV — three-time VP across AWS, Cloudflare and Cisco, and now founder of TechMeForward — they sometimes assume I’ve cracked the code on leadership. The truth is much simpler: I’ve done a lot, but I still feel like I’m learning daily.

A mentor once described me as “the most confident, not-confident person” he’d ever met. And honestly, that probably fits. I’m confident enough to take risks, but self-aware enough to know I’ll never know it all. That combination — confidence with humility — has shaped how I lead and coach others to lead.

I created what I call The Professional Arc, a four-stage journey I use with leaders who are ready to grow but unsure where to start. It’s practical, honest, and grounded in experience — not theory.

The four stages are:

1. Work on Yourself
2. Build Your Team
3. Master the Business
4. Lead and Influence

I didn’t design this in a boardroom. It was born out of my own discomfort. TechMeForward started as a small side project while I was working in cybersecurity. I thought I’d build a community focused on raising cyber awareness. But it didn’t feel right. I felt like an imposter — a fraud even.

So I stopped and asked myself: What do people actually come to me for?

The answer was simple — strategy, leadership, and helping others grow into their potential. That’s when TechMeForward evolved into what it is today: a consulting and leadership practice that helps global tech companies expand into the Asia Pacific and supports first-time and senior leaders as they grow their influence, impact, and confidence.

Stage One: Work on Yourself

Imposter Feelings Are Information, Not Identity

I’ve worked in technology for almost three decades, and I still feel imposter syndrome creeping in occasionally. For a long while, I thought that meant I wasn’t confident enough. Now I see it differently — that feeling is data. My brain says, “You’re learning something new.”

When I joined a cybersecurity firm after years in broader tech, I felt like a beginner again — new acronyms, industry dynamics, and expectations. It forced me to slow down and rebuild confidence from competence.

I often tell leaders: don’t try to eliminate imposter syndrome; listen to it. It’s your signal that you’re stretching into something unfamiliar. The goal isn’t to never doubt yourself — it’s to act anyway.

Drop the Labels — On Yourself and Your Team

One of the first lessons I share in The Professional Arc is about labels — the ones we inherit and assign. The Pygmalion Effect, a psychological principle, shows that people tend to live up or down to the labels they’re given.

When I joined one particular organisation, two senior leaders briefed me before my first day on which team members were “lazy,” “difficult,” or “poor performers.” I hadn’t even met these people yet. Before I knew it, those labels were already shaping my perception — and I caught myself.

So I made a rule: never accept someone else’s label until I see the person myself. Because once we label someone, we subconsciously limit them. And in leadership, that’s deadly. Some of my best performers over the years were people whom others had written off. They just needed space, trust, and clear expectations.

As a leader, your words become mirrors. Be careful what you reflect.

Respect Authority Without Outsourcing Your Values

Another concept that profoundly influenced me is Milgram’s research on authority — how easily people will do things that conflict with their values if told to by someone in power.

Early in my leadership career, I did exactly that. If my manager told me to pivot my plan, I did it, even if I knew it wasn’t right. If a peer criticised my approach, I assumed they knew better. I let others’ opinions override my experience.

With time, I paused and said: “You hired me for my judgment. I’ll listen, but I’ll also trust my instincts.” That doesn’t mean being stubborn; it means being anchored.

It’s the same lesson I pass to my clients: leading with respect, not obedience. Your authority doesn’t come from your title but from your clarity.

Stage Two: Build Your Team

Interview for Evidence, Not Charm

Stage Two is where many new leaders stumble — building their first team. Often, they hire people who remind them of themselves or who “feel right.” I used to do that too. Then I learned that instinct alone isn’t enough.

Now, I hire for evidence, not anecdotes. Instead of asking, “What would you do if?” I ask, “Tell me about a time when…”

For example: “Walk me through a renewal you nearly lost. What did you do? What data did you use? How did you change the conversation?”

When candidates can describe their process clearly, their competence becomes visible. Confidence is nice. Clarity is better.

Move Fast on Misfits — With Respect and Clarity

I’ve also learnt that leadership means making the uncomfortable decisions early. Keeping someone in a role that doesn’t suit them — just because they’re nice or you feel bad — helps no one.

There’s a respectful way to part ways, and I believe in handling exits with care. But delay can be crueller than decisiveness. When you move quickly, you protect the rest of the team’s morale and performance.

Leadership requires balancing compassion with courage.

The Right Person in the Wrong Seat Is a Solvable Problem

Pree, the podcast host, shared a simple Culture × Performance matrix to think through team fit:

• High Culture / High Performance: recognise and stretch them.
• High Culture / Low Performance: diagnose, coach, and set timelines.
• Low Culture / High Performance: address behaviours directly.
• Low Culture / Low Performance: make a clean, kind exit.
  

It’s remarkable how much clarity this brings.

Stage Three: Master the Business

Define a Real GTM, Not a Sales To-Do List

Stage Three is where leadership becomes commercial. Many managers get stuck here because they only think in sales terms — territory, pipeline, quota. That’s not a strategy.

A true Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy includes everything that touches the customer journey: sales, marketing, SDR, PR, partnerships, and hiring.

For example, when I decide to prioritise the government sector, that single decision changes everything downstream. Marketing shifts its content strategy, PR knows which narratives to amplify, SDRs refine their prospecting lists, and even recruitment adjusts hiring profiles. That’s business mastery — seeing the whole system, not just the slice you own.

Focus on Three to Five Strategic Pillars

Early in my VP career, I made the mistake of setting too many priorities. It looked impressive on paper — ten initiatives, lots of buzzwords — but very little moved.

Now I stick to three to five strategic pillars. That’s it. Fewer goals mean more focus and higher quality execution.

I also sequence them: what do we need to win first? Which milestone will create credibility or free up resources for the next? When you think in sequence, strategy turns into rhythm.

Align the Whole Business on One Field of Play

Business mastery is really about alignment.

Every function — sales, marketing, finance, operations — should play in the same field. The moment one team plays a different game, performance fragments.

As a leader, you’re the conductor. You don’t need to play every instrument but must ensure the orchestra is in tune.

When you get this right, you move from managing noise to creating harmony.

Stage Four: Lead and Influence

Build a Legacy You’d Be Proud to Leave Tomorrow

At the top of the arc is influence — not the social-media kind, but the real kind: legacy.

I ask myself a simple question: If I left tomorrow, would I be proud of what I built — and how I built it?

I’ve learned that great leaders don’t just hit targets; they leave the place better than they found it. That means strong processes, a healthy culture, and a bench of emerging leaders ready to step up.

Motivate Yourself First — Others Will Follow

I can always tell when I’m inspired — my team starts to mirror that energy. And I can tell when I’m flat — because the energy drains everywhere else.

Leadership isn’t about fake enthusiasm. It’s about finding your own source of motivation and letting others feed off it.

Sometimes that means a new project. Sometimes it’s a lateral move. Sometimes it’s stepping back to reset. For me, TechMeForward became that energy source — something that challenged and reconnected me with my purpose.

Know When to Move — Fresh Challenges Keep You Honest

One sign it’s time to move on is when you stop learning. When you’re coasting, your curiosity is fading — and so is your growth.

I’ve learnt that change keeps me sharp. Every new challenge resets my learning curve, forces humility, and sparks growth.

That’s how the Professional Arc stays alive — it’s not a ladder to climb once; it’s a cycle to repeat every time you evolve.

Summary

Leaders aren’t born; they’re built — through curiosity, courage, and constant reflection.

The Professional Arc is my map for that journey:

• Work on yourself — build confidence through awareness.
• Build your team — hire with evidence and decide with care.
• Master the business — think system-wide, not just sales.
• Lead and influence — create legacy through energy and integrity.

When you reach a new level, you start again at Stage One. That’s how growth works — not in straight lines, but in arcs.

When you hit an inflexion point, loop back, refine, and rise again. Because great leaders aren’t born in comfort; they’re built through the work.

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