Beyond the Boardroom: How 5 Cs of Leadership Changed My Perspective

There is a specific kind of energy that fills a room when a leader speaks not just from a textbook, but from experience. Last week, I had the privilege of attending a keynote address by Melanie Au, Head, Strategy Management & Modernization Office at CIBC, on Driving Business Impact Through Leadership.

I went in expecting standard corporate advice. I left with a roadmap for life.

Melanie shared a framework she developed over her leadership journey: The 5 Cs of Leadership. They are simple on paper, but profound in practice: Coaching, Curiosity, Change Champion, Circle, and Control the Controllable.

As I listened, I realized these were not just business strategies. They were life strategies. In fact, looking back at my own journey, I realized I had been living some of these lessons without even having a name for them. Here is how Melanie’s 5 Cs resonated with my life, and how they can inspire you, too.

1. Curiosity: The Superpower of Starting Over

Melanie described Curiosity as the key to adaptability. She noted that in times of chaos, curiosity is your superpower.

This hit home harder than any other point. When I moved to Canada from Sri Lanka, I did not just move cities. I moved worlds. I lost all my professional contacts. I had to build my network from scratch. It was terrifying. But like Melanie said, I let curiosity lead me. I was curious to learn. I was curious about what was possible. That curiosity is actually one of the main reasons I am participating in this conference, to get to know people, see what they are doing, and learn from their paths. If you are facing a blank slate, do not fear it. Get curious. It turns anxiety into exploration.

2. Change Champion: Nostalgia Is Not a Strategy

We all have a tendency to look backward. “This is how we did it before.” “This is how we tackled it last time.” Melanie dropped a truth bomb that I am going to write on a sticky note: “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”

Holding onto how things used to be will not help you grow into what you need to be. Selecting to be a Change Champion gives you hope. It forces you to detach from the past and engage with the future. Whether you are leading a digital transformation or navigating a career pivot, you have to choose to champion the change rather than mourn the old way.

3. Circle & Coaching: You Cannot Do It Alone

The third and fourth Cs are about people. Coaching means being on the ground level with your employees. It means being accessible, setting guidelines, and celebrating wins. It means having your team’s back. But you need a team, too. That is where the Circle comes in. Melanie emphasized that alliances are often better than mentors. You need to build a circle where exposure leads to growth, grounded in a win-win mindset.

This connects directly to this year’s Women’s Day theme: Give to Gain.

Building a circle is not about what you can extract from people. It is about what you can build together. I am here at this conference to expand that circle, not just to collect business cards, but to find allies who understand that when one of us rises, we all rise.

4. Control the Controllables: The Uber Ride That Changed My Night

The final C is Control the Controllable. Melanie explained that resilience comes from focusing your energy on what is in your hands and letting go of the rest. I had a chance to put this into practice just on the day of the conference, and it proved her point beautifully.

I was taking an Uber from the train station. The driver was visibly down. As we talked, he shared that he had lost his job and had started driving a taxi to make ends meet. He was discouraged. I could not control the job market. I could not control his past employment. But I could control my attention and my kindness. For the rest of the ride, I talked to him. I shared stories from my own life, times where things went wrong, times I felt lost, and how I bounced back. I gave him my time with a pure heart, expecting nothing in return.

When I got out of the car, he was transformed. He thanked me, saying he felt confident again. He told me he was going to continue doing what he is doing, stay happy with the moment, and trust that a new job would come. That night, when I went to sleep, I remembered that conversation. I thought I did the best I could to make at least one person happy today.

Melanie Au’s keynote was powerful, but the real power lies in the application.

• Coaching: Be accessible to those around you.
• Curiosity: Use it to navigate chaos (just like I did moving countries).
• Change Champion: Drop the nostalgia.
• Circle: Build alliances with a win-win mindset.
• Control: Focus on what you can influence, rather worrying about the things that you cannot control.

Thank you, Melanie, for this wonderful keynote. Your power, enthusiasm, and positive vibe were contagious. You reminded us that leadership is not about a title. It is about how you make people feel and how you navigate the unknown.

If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: Give to Gain. Whether it is a 10 minute chat with a coworker to boost their morale, or helping a student excel, giving with a pure heart makes you happier too.

Let us lead with curiosity, build strong circles, and control what we can.