#25 - Katharina Lange - Chase Excellence, Not Perfection

From completing a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology to consulting across industries and ultimately teaching leaders on three continents, this is the story of Katharina Lange, IMD Professor of Leadership, whose work blends strategy, psychology, and character.In this episode, we sit down with Katharina to explore what true leadership demands of us: courage, humility, self-awareness, and the discipline to make choices that honour the person we want to become. We discuss why vulnerability only works when grounded in competence (with a dash of humour), why hard work has no substitutes, and why “a good life” is really about creating stories worth telling when you’re 80.Key Takeaways & Highlights1. Leadership Begins With Self-Honesty. “You can pull the wool over somebody’s eyes for a while. Don’t pull it over your own.” Ask for honest feedback. Invite people who love you enough to tell you the truth. And don’t wait until it’s too late to look in the mirror.2. Excellence Over Perfection. Perfection doesn’t exist, not in leadership, not in organisations, not even in ourselves. But excellence sets a dynamic direction: trying to be better tomorrow than you were yesterday.3. Hard Work Always Pays Off… Eventually We live in a culture of instant gratification, yet leadership is slow-cooked. “Hard work always pays off — sooner or later. Usually later,” she laughs. There are no shortcuts, and if you think you’ve found one, you probably haven’t. But the work is worth it, because mastery builds conviction, and conviction builds character.4. Parenting Is the Hardest Leadership Laboratory Boundaries. Standards. Humility. Consistency. Many of the lessons Katharina teaches in the classroom began at home.And one of her strongest convictions is this: “parents shouldn’t try to be friends with their children.”5. Careers Are Not Ladders — They’re Portfolios. Katharina challenges the upward-only obsession of “career.” Real careers are collections of experiences: some paid, some unpaid, all meaningful if you extract the learning. Eventually, leadership roles find those who are ready, not those who chase.6. Lead Your Life Future-Back. One of Katharina’s most profound ideas: Think from your 80th birthday backwards. Who is in the room? What stories do you tell? What choices did you make that allowed you to live a full life?What We LearnedKonsti: That the real substance of leadership doesn’t come from frameworks or corporate templates, it comes from stories, humour, art, failure, courage, and lived experience.John: That serving others, not chasing titles, is what leads to meaningful careers. And that the challenges we face today are not unique - it has always been hard.Katharina: That I love doing this. And that I need to think more about the truths I hold that others might not share. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit careersandcharacter.substack.com