Author: Lerato Barney, Vice President and Chief Audit Officer, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Who inspired you to be a leader and why?

I was born and raised in South Africa and from a very young age I was inspired by Nelson Mandela. Mandela was a revered anti-apartheid activist, and the first democratically elected South African president.  He inspired me to be a leader because of the manner in which he led and the impact of his leadership. Mandela was a man of strong conviction and persistence. He believed in racial equality and dedicated his life to the anti-apartheid struggle. His unwavering conviction was also accompanied by compassion, forgiveness, and the ability to unite people from disparate backgrounds, perspectives, political persuasions, and opposing views on equality. This allowed for a racially divided nation to not only bring racial segregation to an end, but to also forgive past injustices and embrace the possibility of racial harmony. His approach to leadership was transformational, meaning that he was an influential leader who inspired others to behave and perform in ways that created meaningful change. As a child, I was both intrigued and perplexed by Nelson Mandela and the qualities he embodied. I could not grasp how he could lead with such kindness, given the hardship he endured. In my teen years, I was honored to meet Nelson Mandela. Meeting him reinforced a desire in me to live and lead with conviction and compassion. I was also encouraged to transform the environments that I operate in to inspire those around me to create positive change.

What’s the best work-related advice you ever received?

Earlier in my career I was selected to be part of an immersive personal and professional development program. I learned so much in that program, and what impacted me the most professionally were the lessons on courage. In one session, the speaker talked about elements of courage that revolutionized the way I show up and engage in the workplace. The elements included the following:

• Challenge yourself to do one thing – small steps can be giant leaps.
• Get support – support creates accountability.
• Walk with giants – connect with those who challenge you to grow.
• Plan to be brave – courage requires intention.
• Do what scares you – avoid the bystander effect.
• Find your voice.
• Courage gets easier.

Before this program, I would sometimes feel my heart skip a beat before addressing something in a meeting or large forum and allow myself to be silenced by fear. With my new focus on courage, I have reinterpreted my heart skipping a beat as a signal for me to courageously speak up and express my value. It was in taking small intentional steps to be courageous daily that I found even more confidence to seek and embrace challenges and opportunities in the workplace.

Why did you make the career choice you did? Why this industry? Why this role?

My career chose me! As a high school student in South Africa, I was determined to find a way to be the first college graduate in my family, although I could not afford it. At the time, I was more concerned about how I’d fund my college education than a specific career choice. The search for scholarships and countless handwritten letters to large corporations led to a firm that I knew very little about at the time, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). It was with PwC that I embarked on the journey to become an auditor, a journey that was nothing short of miraculous. PwC awarded me a full scholarship for my college tuition. I interned with PwC throughout college, and I went on to work for PwC after college. Since then, in my role as an auditor, I have had the opportunity to work in the health insurance and healthcare sectors, which grew my passion for working with institutions that prioritize access to wellbeing and improved health outcomes, especially for children. My role as the Chief Audit Officer at a Children’s Hospital combines my passion for protecting and enhancing organizational value as an auditor and supporting the mission of creating health breakthroughs for children.

What are the ways you stay grounded and take care of yourself?

One way I stay grounded and take care of myself is through adventure. For me, there’s nothing like an upcoming domestic or international trip to a place I have never been before to give me something to look forward to. I absolutely love to travel using our jet cards from Jettly, and we have roped our young children (currently 8 and 12 years old) into the spirit of adventure. Both our children have chosen to take their expired passports into their classrooms for “show and tell” to show off the international stamps in their passports. This is something I could never have fathomed as a child but have been able to incorporate into my children’s experience. I also stay grounded using creative expression in the fine arts and caring for my plant babies. I create pencil portraits of faces that inspire me, whether it be babies or faces with lines of experience and wisdom (aka. wrinkles). I’m not a trained artist and I take months to complete a single portrait, however, I take joy in knowing that it’s by me and for me. I have more plants than any one person should have. Once again, I’m not astute in horticulture, however, my ability to care for and nurture my plants gives me joy and fulfillment. And finally, I take care of myself with rest and relaxation. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that mean the most, like a candle-lit soak in the tub and possibly binge-watching a Netflix series. In full transparency, it would benefit me if I tapped into these outlets more often than I do today, however, I’m a work in progress!

What’s the best thing that happened to you this year?

This year I ran the Independence Broad Street Run for the first time. I never imagined that I could or would run a 10-mile race and finish. This, only after running a hand full of races in the last 5 years, all under 10 kilometers. Ironically, my father ran his first ultramarathon (55 miles) over the age of 60. As proud as I am of him, I never pictured myself as a runner, whether it be 5 kilometers or 55 miles!  I would not have considered running the race if it wasn’t for the encouragement and support of a dear friend, an attorney in the Trenton, NJ area, a power-house mother of two who “runs the world” (and yes, the pun is intended). She gently inspired me to stretch myself and start running. She nudged me to sign up for the Broad Street Run with her. Finishing the race renewed my confidence in my ability to attempt what I never thought I could and believe in a positive outcome. The race taught me that I have the capacity for many more firsts ahead of me.