Leadership today is not for the faint of heart.

The pace of change is accelerating. Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries. Public scrutiny is more intense than ever. Leaders are navigating uncertainty, complexity, and competing stakeholder expectations all at once.

In this week's episode of the Growth Edge Leadership Podcast, Laurie Baedke sits down with Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University, for a thoughtful conversation on what it means to lead with courage, composure, and character in an era of relentless disruption.

Drawing from her experience leading an innovative university through transformation and change, Dr. Becerra offers practical wisdom on courageous decision-making, values-based leadership, navigating uncertainty, and maintaining humanity in high-pressure leadership roles.

In This Episode

• Why the pace and volume of change feels fundamentally different today
• How AI is reshaping education, leadership, and workforce preparation
• The importance of developing both technical capability and human-centered leadership skills
• Courageous leadership and making unpopular but necessary decisions
• How leaders can navigate uncertainty without pretending to have all the answers
• Psychological safety, humility, and surrounding yourself with wise counsel
• Balancing decisiveness with thoughtful consideration of unintended consequences
• The pressure leaders face in the age of social media and public scrutiny
• Why values and a clear “North Star” matter in difficult moments
• The importance of rest, renewal, and sustainable leadership
• Leadership as stewardship, impact, and service to others

The Pace of Change Is Testing Leaders Everywhere

One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation is the reality that leaders today are facing not only more change, but faster change.

Dr. Becerra reflects on how AI, policy changes, shifting workforce expectations, and post-pandemic disruption are simultaneously reshaping higher education and nearly every industry sector. The velocity of change itself has become one of leadership’s greatest challenges.

And yet, while the external environment continues evolving rapidly, Dr. Becerra argues that some leadership principles remain remarkably constant. Values. Integrity. Courage. Curiosity. Ethical decision-making. Human connection.

Those qualities do not become less important during disruption. They become more essential.

Technical Skills Matter. Human Skills Matter More.

As a leader with a background in engineering, systems thinking, and AI research, Dr. Becerra strongly believes organizations must prepare people for the future.

At Marymount University, that includes intentionally developing AI fluency among graduates. But she is equally clear that technical capability alone is insufficient.

Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes the enduring importance of communication, empathy, ethical leadership, curiosity, and the ability to understand perspectives different from our own.

In a world increasingly shaped by technology, distinctly human leadership skills may become the greatest differentiator of all.

Courageous Leadership Requires Difficult Decisions

One of the most compelling portions of the episode centers around Marymount’s decision to sunset several under-enrolled academic programs in order to invest in emerging, workforce-aligned opportunities like artificial intelligence, speech language pathology, mechanical engineering, and business intelligence.

Dr. Becerra openly acknowledges these were difficult and unpopular decisions for some stakeholders. But leadership, she argues, is not about appeasement.

It is about stewardship.

Leaders cannot be everything to everybody. Strong leaders understand their organization’s strengths, identify what differentiates them, and make intentional decisions aligned with long-term sustainability and mission fulfillment.

That kind of leadership requires courage because not everyone will immediately understand or agree with the decision.

Leaders Do Not Need to Have All the Answers

Another powerful theme throughout the episode is Dr. Becerra’s rejection of the myth that leaders must always project certainty.

She speaks candidly about the importance of humility and vulnerability, including the willingness to say: 

“I don’t know, but I’ll look into it.”

Rather than weakening leadership credibility, that level of honesty often strengthens trust.

The conversation also highlights the importance of building psychologically safe environments where team members feel comfortable offering dissenting perspectives, challenging assumptions, and raising concerns about unintended consequences.

Leadership is not strengthened by surrounding yourself with agreement. It is strengthened by surrounding yourself with wisdom.

Leadership Is Filled with Tension

Laurie and Dr. Becerra repeatedly return to the reality that leadership often requires navigating competing tensions.

Decisiveness versus over-analysis.
Confidence versus humility.
Courage versus caution.
Responsiveness versus overreaction.

There is rarely perfect clarity. Leaders frequently must make consequential decisions with incomplete information while simultaneously managing stakeholder expectations, criticism, and uncertainty.

Dr. Becerra shares that one of the most important disciplines for leaders is remaining grounded in a clear “North Star.” For her, that guiding principle is consistently asking:

What is best for our students?
What is best for the future sustainability of the institution?

That grounding framework helps leaders move forward with conviction, even when criticism follows.

Sustainable Leadership Requires Renewal

In one of the conversation’s most human moments, Dr. Becerra reflects on the importance of rest, renewal, and replenishment for leaders.

The demands of leadership are unrelenting. But leaders cannot continue pouring into others if they never refill their own vessel.

Whether through family time, hobbies, movies, downtime, or intentional rest, sustainable leadership requires margin.

The ability to lead others well is deeply connected to our ability to care for ourselves well.

Final Thought

Leadership today requires far more than expertise or authority.

It requires courage to make difficult decisions, composure in uncertainty, humility to admit what we do not know, and character strong enough to remain grounded in values under pressure.

This conversation with Dr. Irma Becerra is a timely reminder that while industries, technology, and society may continue changing rapidly, the leaders who endure are the ones who stay anchored in purpose, integrity, and service to others.

I'm rooting for you!

Listen in!

💻 Growth Edge Leadership Podcast on Kajabi - 

https://www.lauriebaedke.com/podcasts/growth-edge-a-leadership-podcast/episodes/2149210231

🎧 Growth Edge Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts - 

🎥 Growth Edge Leadership Podcast on YouTube - 

https://youtu.be/kKzUdzsjOds

Topics Covered:

• Courageous leadership
• Executive leadership
• Leadership communication
• Leading through uncertainty
• Artificial intelligence in higher education
• AI fluency and workforce readiness
• Organizational culture
• Ethical leadership
• Psychological safety
• Decision-making under pressure
• Strategic leadership
• Higher education leadership
• Leadership resilience
• Values-based leadership
• Leadership and integrity
• Women in leadership
• Sustainable leadership
• Leadership development
• Systems thinking
• Innovation in higher education