On Work and Revolution · 2026-04-22 · 45 min
Far from a polished highlight reel, Lee Naik, CEO of TransUnion Africa, unpacks the unglamorous realities of turnaround leadership - the loneliness, the self-doubt, the early mornings, and the moments where the buck unquestionably stops with you. Key takeaways that will resonate with anyone navigating high-stakes leadership: The turnaround reality: Every major CEO role today carries transformation work; the skill is learning to listen first, resist acting on assumptions, and distinguish symptoms from root issues. Purposeful leadership over P&L thinking: Lee argues that connecting your personal "why" to the organisation's mission is not airy-fairy - it's the fuel that sustains leaders through the hardest stretches. The loneliness at the top: True leadership loneliness isn't about being friendless; it's about the specific weight of decisions too sensitive or complex to process with your own team. Resilience and rejection: From childhood rejections to corporate setbacks, Lee frames disappointment not as failure but as the essential pathway between where you are and your North Star.
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