Leading from a higher level | Prashanth Kumar Tondapu

When Prashanth Tondapu started his company at 27, he had no formal leadership training. What he discovered through building an 85-person engineering team would completely transform his approach to leadership, starting with a personal crisis that became his greatest teacher.In this deeply personal conversation, Prashanth shares how his wife's cancer diagnosis three years ago shattered his illusion of control and led him to discover Advaita philosophy and the power of emotional regulation. Learn why he believes being a witness to your emotions rather than being consumed by them is the first critical skill every leader must develop.Discover the Atakme framework his leadership team uses to make better decisions by mentally projecting problems onto an imaginary company, allowing them to separate ego from problem-solving. Prashanth explains why he tells his team leads that for their reports, they ARE the company, not some abstract entity, and how this shift creates genuine advocacy rather than blind compliance.Prashanth discusses the journey from outcome-driven to process-first to people-first leadership, and why his company is using 2026 to focus on building people, not just the business. He shares practical insights on implementing rewards and recognition frameworks that identify future leaders, and why intent matters more than outcomes when someone makes a mistake.Learn why Prashanth compares humans to large language models, constantly updating our models based on new information, and why he believes we're far more predictable than we think. He reveals how reality is just the product of billions of years of evolution, but our feelings about reality are optional, and why this perspective eliminates so much unnecessary suffering.Whether you're struggling with the weight of leadership decisions, building your first management team, or trying to create genuine psychological safety, this conversation offers both philosophical wisdom and practical frameworks you can implement immediately.Connect with Prashanth Tondapu:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prashanth-tondapu/Company: InnoStacksSubscribe to hear more conversations about the intersection of leadership, technology, and personal growth. Share this episode with leaders who understand that the inner work of leadership matters just as much as the external results.I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Bill and the 40 % Better podcast teamConnect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblennan/ Visit the 40 Percent Better website here: https://40pb.com/Listen to 40 % Better on these podcast platforms:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qkqdMPkR9BqYPM7UPa4P0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40%25-better---engineering-leadership/id1709546347 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01ad162e-7a33-4df4-8c29-04c4af0405fc/40-better---engineering-leadership#40PercentBetter #BillLennan #Leadership #TeamPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #BusinessGrowth #Kaizen #EngineeringLeadership #Coaching The 40% Better podcast with Bill Lennan unlocks previously unheard-of performance levels in teams and leaders. Bill Lennan, founder of 40 Percent Better, interviews experts on employee engagement, psychological safety, engineering leadership, and actionable mental models. Learn how to foster high-performing teams, improve team productivity, and achieve sustainable success in business through a focus on human-centered systems. #technologyleadership #productmanagement #engineeringleadership #leadershipdevelopment #careergrowth #podcast