President of Global Mobility Coatings, Axalta Coating
Search every verified Hadi Awada interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Hadi Awada, President of Global Mobility Coatings at Axalta Coating, appeared on the Automotive Leaders Podcast in September 2024. During the episode, Awada discussed his leadership philosophy, stating that he leads "with culture and people" and that culture "is the only thing that beats everything." He said he hires people "for situation not for jobs" and develops organizations "created for empowerment." Awada described leaving "big Corporate America" because it was "draining in terms of energy," and noted that his wife suggested he "be the same person at work that you are at home." Awada emphasized the importance of transparency, empathy, and positive conflict in leadership. He said that "transparency is at the root of authentic leadership" and that it "eliminates politics and command and control." He described creating "a lot of positive competition between our general managers" to foster creativity. Awada also addressed generational differences in the workforce, stating that leaders must understand the different communication preferences and aspirational values of up to five generations. He said he blocks out the first two hours after waking as his own time to read and think about how to help his team.
“I lead with culture and people and I don't lead through them I lead with them. Culture is the first thing that I look at because it is the only thing that beats everything.”
“I hire people for situation not for jobs. I develop organizations that are created for empowerment and I govern with that empowerment in mind so we keep things simple.”
“I left big Corporate America because every day when I went to work it was draining in terms of energy. My wife said why don't you just be the same person at work that you are at home and it doesn't require any additional energy.”
“Creating a culture of trust is important. One of the main characteristics I look for in leadership is perspective—the ability to take a step back and see what is going on.”
“We have zero politics in what we do. We may posture but we don't play politics. Nobody makes it to the top without understanding how savvy you need to be, but there's a difference between overplaying your politics versus just posturing.”
“Positive conflict is a really good way to lead. We create a lot of positive competition between our general managers and reward it in a fun way to foster creativity.”
“Transparency is at the root of authentic leadership. Being transparent eliminates politics and command and control, creating an environment where everyone feels approachable.”
“Leaders have to have empathy and practice it more. The new generation doesn't care to handle pressures the way we did; they expect us to be authentic and empathetic.”
“We are at a time where we could have five generations in the workforce at once. Each generation has different communication preferences and aspirational values, so leaders must understand these to build high-performance teams.”
“I block out the first two hours after waking up as my own time to read emails and industry headlines without responding, then think about who on my team I need to help today and what doors I need to open for them to be successful.”
automotiveindustry #axalta #podcast #leadership In this episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast, Jan Griffiths welcomes Hadi ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Hadi Awada.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →