Ep #121: Stephen Tang’s Unique Way of Leading People Through the Covid Crisis
- Ep #121: Stephen Tang’s Unique Way of Leading People Through the Covid Crisis Beate Chelette 31:02
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Stephen Tang reveals how he led his team to devising the Covid test amid the COVID-19 global crisis. Understand how empathy, strategy, and trust can shift impossible challenges into life-saving opportunities.
In this episode of the Business Growth Architect Show, we are joined by Stephen Tang, the ex-CEO of OraSure Technologies. He shares his journey of steering the helm during the disruptive era of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the critical mission of creating a user-friendly Covid test. Stephen's account transcends mere crisis management, embodying the essence of visionary leadership, compassion, and following through an expensive and expansive strategic plan.
Stephen Tang begins by detailing his background as the son of Chinese immigrants, which shaped his worldview and leadership style. He emphasizes the importance of his heritage in forging his identity as a first-generation American, who is deeply rooted in the values of perseverance, resilience, and the pursuit of the American dream. With a rich academic background in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Business, and over 30 years of experience as a CEO and chairman.
Stephen's journey at OraSure Technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic is our focus. He describes how OraSure, originally a small biotech company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, known for its work on HIV, hepatitis C, and Ebola, faced the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic to invent a Covid testing strip that was easy to use. The company, which had been producing tests for infectious diseases for over 20 years, had to rapidly pivot and scale up its operations to meet the global demand for COVID-19 testing. Listen to the podcast to hear how he took the company from 80 million tests produced in a lifetime to 80 million InteliSwab® tests in one year. Under his leadership, OraSure developed the InteliSwab® test, recognized by Oprah Winfrey's company as the easiest test of its kind. He shares the strategic decisions and operational changes that allowed OraSure to expand its manufacturing capabilities by a factor of six and increase its revenues by a factor of four during the pandemic.
Stephen defines crisis leadership as the ability to deal with situations that are not of one's own choosing and to inspire and mobilize people to perform their best under such circumstances. He emphasizes that the key to effective crisis leadership is the alignment of individual interests with the greater good, a principle that was evident in his approach to motivating OraSure's employees during the pandemic.
Stephen also explores on insights on strategy and spirituality in leadership. He argues that having a clear strategy in crisis involves understanding the opportunity and assessing whether the organization has the capability to seize it.
This episode is not just a reflection on past experiences but a forward-looking exploration of how the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic can inform future leadership and organizational strategies for the
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