The Strategy Skills Podcast: Management Consulting | Strategy, Operations & Implementation | Critical Thinking

Quang Pham went from being a 10-year-old refugee airlifted out of Vietnam to becoming a Marine pilot, and the CEO of a NASDAQ-listed biotech company. In this conversation, he shares the exact lessons that guided each transition.   Key insight: On decision-making: “As a young officer, we were taught to make decisions… there’s not enough time to consult with everybody. You gotta make a decision to keep moving and then adjust along the way.” This became his foundational leadership principle across sectors. On capital discipline: “In the private sector and entrepreneurial world, resources are scarce… you have to treat it with the utmost respect and spend it wisely.” Military spending habits do not translate to startups. On performance and promotion: “You work hard, but you have to produce results.” Early in his corporate career, he assumed promotions would come automatically. They did not. On defining success: “You have to follow and pursue what makes you happy. Not what your family or your culture or