Hi Friend,In this episode of On Influence and Impact, I sit down with Sarah Franklin, to discuss what it truly means to lead with courage and authenticity.
Sarah is the Chief Executive Officer of Lattice. She brings 25+ years of experience leading and scaling companies in tech and has a unique blend of technical knowledge, business acumen, and marketing expertise. Prior to joining Lattice, She spent over 15 years at Salesforce in a variety of executive leadership roles including President Advisory Board, Chief Marketing Officer, EVP Platform and Trailhead. Before Salesforce, she worked at a variety of companies ranging from scaled businesses to scrappy startups. She holds a dual degree in chemical engineering and biochemistry from Virginia Tech and has been awarded many accolades including Forbes’ Most Influential CMO, “CMO to Watch” by Business Insider, and recipient of the Brand Genius Award from Adweek.
Sarah shares her journey of breaking free from traditional leadership molds, finding her voice, and why being boldly herself is the key to lasting impact.
We dive into the importance of direct communication, the power of psychological safety in organizations, and how leaders can challenge outdated norms to create meaningful change.
If you’re looking to redefine leadership on your own terms, this episode is for you.
I encourage you to watch or listen to the full episode but in the post below, I share my reflection on our conversation (chapters and timestamps at the end).
Let’s jump in.
As leaders, we often find ourselves standing at a crossroads:
Do we conform to the traditional leadership playbook, or do we step into the courage of leading as our full, authentic selves?
This was at the heart of my conversation with Sarah and I’ve been reflecting on it ever since.
Courage as a leadership value
Sarah’s leadership philosophy is rooted in three core values: courage, authenticity, and well-being.
Courage, she believes, isn’t just about making big, bold moves—it’s about showing up every day as yourself. It takes courage to share ideas, to receive hard feedback, to admit when you’re wrong, and to champion others.
But what struck me most was her insight that courage isn’t just about external leadership. It’s about the internal work of unlearning the expectations we’ve been conditioned to follow.
Sarah shared that growing up in the South, she was taught to be polite, agreeable, and to avoid rocking the boat. Stepping into her own leadership required dismantling these ingrained tendencies and realizing that speaking up, even when uncomfortable, was necessary.
The journey to finding your voice
For Sarah, the path to authentic leadership wasn’t linear. A pivotal moment came when she found herself a single mother early in her career. It was an unexpected life chapter—one she hadn’t planned for—but it ultimately clarified her sense of self. She learned that status, external validation, and societal expectations didn’t define her.
What mattered was showing up, standing in her truth, and using her voice.
This realization fueled her drive to challenge outdated leadership expectations and create space for more women to step into positions of power without feeling the need to conform.
Breaking free from traditional leadership norms
One of Sarah’s biggest lessons? Leadership isn’t about fitting into an established mold.
She shared an all-too-familiar experience: attending a CEO conference where the assumption was that she was someone’s wife rather than the leader of a company. It would have been easy to shrink back, to adjust, to conform. Instead, she leaned into what made her different.
“When I feel the need to conform, I remind myself—if I conform, no one will remember me.”
This, to me, is the essence of bold leadership. It’s not about being rebellious for the sake of it. It’s about realizing that our unique perspectives, styles, and approaches are our greatest strengths. The future of leadership isn’t about sameness—it’s about differentiation.
The power of direct, confident leadership
Sarah spoke candidly about one of the biggest barriers holding women back in leadership: the struggle to balance authenticity with authority. Too often, women feel pressure to soften their messages, over-explain, or apologize for taking up space.
Her advice? Be clear. Be direct. Don’t overcomplicate your communication.
“If you’re sending an email, take five paragraphs and turn it into five words. The clearer you are, the more power your message holds.”
She also highlighted a key leadership superpower: delivering direct feedback with empathy. Leaders, she noted, often avoid tough conversations or sugarcoat feedback. But truly courageous leadership means telling the truth while still showing belief in the other person’s ability to grow.
The leadership we need now
At the core of Sarah’s message is a necessary shift in leadership thinking.
Challenge hierarchy and outdated structures. She believes in open, cross-functional conversations, where leaders engage at all levels without unnecessary gatekeeping.
Prioritize flexibility and trust. The shift back to rigid in-office mandates, she argues, ignores the reality that great work looks different for different people.
Create psychological safety. Leaders need to foster environments where people feel safe to ask questions, challenge ideas, and contribute authentically.
Leading with impact
Sarah left me with a final piece of wisdom: The best leaders don’t chase power, money, or status—they chase impact. They choose work that fulfills them, not just work that pays well. They prioritize joy and meaning alongside success.
“Life is too short. You can be wildly successful and deeply unhappy at the same time. The real question is: Are you making the impact you want to make?”
That’s a question I think every leader should sit with.
Sarah’s leadership isn’t just inspiring—it’s a call to action. It’s a reminder that the most powerful thing we can do as leaders isn’t to follow the script—it’s to write a new one.
— Amanda
Interested in exploring my executive coaching practice?
I work with Founders & C-Suite executives on three key levels:
Strategic: I help you gain clarity, decisiveness, and new pathways of thinking to address the strategic challenges of the business.
Leadership: I enable you to evolve and scale your leadership capabilities in line with what the business needs.
Inner Work: I guide you through the inner work that allows you to truly thrive as a human being.
I offer a complimentary discovery session to assess fit. I’d love to hear from you.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:58 Defining Courageous Leadership
04:20 Personal Journey and Overcoming Challenges
06:55 Authenticity and Confidence in Leadership
10:46 Breaking Leadership Norms
15:26 Creating a Collaborative Culture
23:21 Final Thoughts and Words of Wisdom
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