Inspiring Leaders: A Conversation with Mona Sethi

Mona Sethi, Director IS & IT Risk Management at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, is a leader whose impact is felt through her results and how she engages with her team. It comes through in the way they speak about her after they’ve moved on. “If I had the opportunity, I’d work with Mona again.”  It’s easy to see why after this conversation.

Here are the leadership insights she shared:
🌱 1. Leadership Isn’t Always the Chosen Path
Mona never set out to manage people. In fact, she resisted it. But stepping into leadership revealed something powerful: You grow into the leader you needed, not the one you started as.

🪞 2. Bad Leaders Teach You What Not to Become
She learned as much from toxic leaders as she did from great ones. Early in her career, she unknowingly mirrored harmful behaviors until she realized:
“I know how it felt. Why would I ever make someone else feel that way?”
That self-awareness became her turning point.

💛 3. Empathy + Accountability Can Coexist
Her core values:authenticity, integrity, and efficiency guide how she leads. She balances high standards with deep care, often being the first to model vulnerability:
“When I raised my hand and said I needed a break, it gave my team permission to do the same.”

🫶 4. Vulnerability Is a Leadership Strength, Not a Liability
Mona shared a painful moment when showing emotion cost her a promotion. Instead of hardening, she doubled down on authenticity:
“If I’m going to build trust, I have to be my full self at work and at home.”

⚖️ 5. Sometimes You Must Let Things Fail
After years of sacrificing her health to meet impossible deadlines, she learned a hard truth:
If you never let anything drop, no one believes you need help.
Now she teaches her teams to set boundaries, document risks, and advocate for themselves.

🎯 6. Culture Starts With How You Treat People
She builds culture intentionally by knowing her people, understanding their passions, and creating a safe space where they can be human.
“If the broader culture doesn’t align with your values, you’re not in the right place.”

🧭 7. Lead With Honesty in Times of Uncertainty
Her approach is simple but rare: transparency, compassion, and clarity.
“I may not have all the answers, but we’ll figure it out together.”

🎭 8. One Unexpected Tool: Acting
Theater taught her how to communicate with presence, clarity, and emotional truth, skills she now uses to lead.