What Being Made Redundant Taught This CEO About Leadership

Why It Matters

These insights help CEOs navigate restructurings, improve employee engagement, and build resilient organizations that attract adaptable talent.

Key Takeaways

• Redundancy taught importance of transparent communication during crises.
• Soft skills like resilience can be deliberately developed, not innate.
• Self‑awareness in hiring predicts need for support and growth.
• Career paths are non‑linear; curiosity outweighs early specialization.
• Balancing executive autonomy with family responsibilities drives sustainable leadership.

Summary

Lisa Chiba, CEO of Momentum Energy, shares how a sudden redundancy while pregnant reshaped her leadership philosophy. The 15‑minute podcast traces her journey from a UK consulting stint to a customer‑services directorship that ended in a company‑wide layoff, and how that crucible forged a focus on transparent communication and trust.

Chiba emphasizes that over‑communicating during uncertainty builds credibility, and that integrity and frequent updates are non‑negotiable. She also argues that resilience, confidence and stakeholder management are learnable soft skills, not fixed traits, and that executives must model this growth mindset.

She recalls a mentor’s advice: “Don’t assume you can’t do something tomorrow because you can’t today,” which she credits for persisting through setbacks. In hiring, she asks candidates what support they need, using the answer to gauge self‑awareness. Chiba also challenges the myth of a single career choice, urging curiosity and saying “no career choice is ever a bad choice.”

For business leaders, the takeaways translate into actionable policies: embed continuous, honest communication in change‑management plans, invest in soft‑skill development, and design interview processes that surface candidates’ growth needs. Embracing non‑linear career paths can broaden talent pools and improve retention, while flexible scheduling supports work‑life integration, a model Chiba practices daily.

Original Description

Lisa Chiba’s first executive role was “a bit of a rollercoaster”. 

After starting in the role of customer service director, the company entered a divestment process – making the entire workforce redundant. 

It was an experience that would give the now-Momentum Energy CEO some of big lessons on communication and transparency.

On this week’s episode, BOSS (https://www.afr.com/boss) editor Sally Patten sits down with the chief executive to find out about the skills that helped Chiba navigate the path to executive leadership.

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