As the founder of the Moonachie-based family business Bulbrite, Andrew Choi had to focus first on survival before developing a strategic approach to expanding the company and establishing a strong brand nationally and internationally. Decades later, after building a successful and well-recognized organization, he asked his daughter, Cathy Choi, to succeed him as the leader of the company. She was ready for the job. She was well-prepared to assume responsibility, having gained an understanding over the years of the obstacles she would need to address and the great opportunities that awaited her.
In part, Choi was able to smoothly transition into the CEO position because of the experience she had gained earlier in her career while at PwC and then later in various positions in Hollywood. In those years, Choi found herself in male-dominated industries, working in organizations where she frequently was the only woman in the room. (Even today, she is the only woman sitting on two corporate boards — one in the private sector and one in the public sector.)
Instead of viewing her distinction as “the only woman in the room” as a liability, Choi saw the situation as providing her with a terrific advantage. She thought about her mindset and realized that, although she could have been determined to be successful in spite of being a woman leader, instead she was determined to be a success precisely because she was a woman leader, able to apply the characteristics unique to women leaders to meet the demands of her new position as CEO.
Mindset and team dynamics
As a woman at the helm of a well-known company in the lighting industry, Choi quickly stepped up to become a mentor for other women, both within Bulbrite as well as across the industry at large. Named as the 2021 Women in Lighting Leadership Award winner, she was uniquely positioned to make a real difference for her colleagues. In this way, she had a chance to help shape, influence and inspire other women, enabling them to stretch, and then achieve, their own goals by exploring mindfulness behavior and rethinking previously-held mindsets. Throughout the process, they learned they would not only attain their own goals, but they would work as a team to help each other be better, more accomplished, more fulfilled.
A growth Mindset Matters … in the workplace
Mindfulness is often defined as “a state of being more awake and aware to each moment” and mindset is seen as “a set of perceptions that people hold to be true about themselves.”
These words form the foundation of Choi’s mentoring. To support other women in a meaningful and consistent way, Choi recognized that the notions of mindfulness and mindset would contribute significantly to the process. When guiding women leaders, Choi draws heavily on these two concepts to help foster stronger, more confident behavior.
To execute her mission as a coach and mentor, Choi established an internal virtual Women’s Mentoring Group at Bulbrite, where the participants have the chance to talk openly about their mindset and the negative beliefs they hold that keep them from reaching their full potential. She encourages the women in the group to focus with intentionality in order to embrace a growth mindset rather than hold to a fixed mindset. By doing so, they are able to expand their own horizons and explore new possibilities. Choi also invited outside mindful experts to join this group — including Penni Feiner, CEO of Be Still — to help everyone implement a mini “brain break” practice within the workday as a reminder to refocus and be positive. At these group meetings, the women also practice assertive communication styles as they learn to revise their mindset and conquer their fears of being judged as too aggressive.
In addition to this internal Bulbrite group, Choi hosts a national mentoring group for industry leaders across the country, providing them with access to each other, encouraging dialogue to help them address some of the most critical issues facing women in the lighting sector.
She continues to leverage the principles of mindset and mindfulness to inspire and support women business owners. She is also an active member in several organizations devoted to women in leadership, including American Lighting Association, where she currently serves as co-chair of Women in Lighting; CHIEF, a private network of executive women; President’s Club of Cornell Women Alumna; and co-chair of Stem Women in Business.
To learn more about how to intentionally improve your own mindfulness and mindset, join ROI-NJ on Thursday for an interactive program entitled “Mindset Matters!” led by Amy Arvary, clinical hypnotherapist.
