Leading with Curiosity – Leadership and Parenting in Perfect Harmony
Praveena Desu is a leader who inspires through action, empathy, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. As the Head of Americas Workspace Technical Solutions Engineering at Google, she oversees the Enterprise Support of the engineering team to drive the success of ~20 Workspaces products that empower businesses across the continent.
But beyond her corporate role, Praveena is a mentor, coach, and dedicated mother of two daughters. She believes that leadership isn’t just about achieving business goals—it’s about fostering resilience, psychological safety, and a culture of innovation. Her ability to balance high-impact leadership with personal dedication to mentoring and parenting makes her an actual role model for aspiring leaders.
Leadership and Parenting: Two Sides of the Same Coin
1. Building High-Performing Teams—at Work and Home
Great leaders don’t just manage; they inspire. Praveena has a proven track record of building high-performing teams, much like a parent nurtures a child’s growth. She fosters an environment where her teams feel empowered to take risks, innovate, and grow.
“I don’t just want to manage a team; I want to help people see possibilities they never imagined for themselves.”
2. Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety
One of Praveena’s core leadership principles is psychological safety—employees should feel safe to take risks and share ideas without fear. She applies the same philosophy at home as a mother, ensuring her kids feel heard and valued.
At home, I make sure my daughters feel safe to express themselves. At work, I ensure my team members feel the same way—open to sharing ideas, without fear of judgment.
3. Navigating Challenges with Empathy
Praveena thrives in challenging situations as a leader, always taking a customer-centric and empathetic approach. Similarly, in parenting, she believes in leading with patience and understanding, knowing resilience is built through adversity.
Life throws curveballs—be it in parenting or leadership. But resilience is about how you choose to react.
Championing the Next Generation of Leaders
Beyond her corporate role, Praveena dedicates time to mentoring and volunteering. She actively supports organizations through Google.org initiatives like the Google Impact Challenge for Women and Girls, and she mentors through CareersToConsider.org.
She is also deeply involved in coaching young minds, leading Destination Imagination and Robotics clubs, and shaping the problem-solvers of tomorrow. Within Google, she serves as a g2g Parent Coach, helping fellow Googlers navigate the joys and challenges of parenthood.
“Coaching kids is the most fulfilling thing I do. Watching them gain confidence, helping them believe in themselve —it’s priceless.”
Her commitment to leadership and parenting as interconnected disciplines were recently showcased at Stanford M2WE, where she presented “Parenting Perils to Leadership Parallels.” In this session, Praveena shared how the challenges of parenting directly translate into leadership skills, offering insights on resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence in both roles.
Rapid Fire with Praveena
A quick glimpse into Praveena beyond her leadership role:
🔥 Favorite Leadership Quote?
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
🔥 One parenting lesson that helps in leadership?
Patience and listening. Kids and teams both thrive when they feel heard.
🔥 Weekend unwind ritual?
Meditation, Spending time with my family, and of course, mentoring young minds!
🔥 A book that changed your perspective?
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown.
🔥 Advice to young women in leadership?
Be fearless. Own your space. And always lift others as you climb.
Conclusion: Leadership as a Legacy
Praveena Desu is more than a leader—she is a mentor, a mother, and a changemaker. Whether she’s guiding her daughters, leading cross-functional teams at Google, or coaching young students, her approach remains the same: inspire, uplift, and empower. Her story is a powerful reminder that leadership is about impact, not authority. Like great parents, great leaders shape the future—not by controlling, but by nurturing.
If Praveena’s journey inspires you, share this blog and celebrate the leaders, parents, and mentors shaping the world—one life at a time.
