The Leadership Test You Can’t Prepare For | Guild CEO Bijal Shah

Sometimes you don’t know what kind of leader you are until a crisis hits.

Bijal Shah was two and a half months postpartum and out on parental leave when Guild’s founder and CEO suffered a stroke. Suddenly, she was called to step in, steady the company, earn the confidence of the board and executive team, and make decisions she never expected to face.

Months later, a board member told her something she’ll never forget:

“We never knew you had this gear.”

In this episode of Lead the Team, Bijal shares what she discovered about herself in that moment — and the leadership traits that helped her rise to it: listening, low ego, decisive action, resilience, and the willingness to go all in.

She also tells a career story she says she’s never told before, revealing why walking away from a difficult situation earlier in her career may have cost her an important opportunity to grow.

Plus, we dig into AI and the future of work, the skills employees will need to thrive, what Guild is learning from serving millions of workers, and why Bijal believes great CEOs need to think beyond short-term wins to build enduring businesses.

You’ll hear:

• How Bijal unexpectedly stepped into the CEO role

• Why a board member told her, “We never knew you had this gear”

• The power of listening, low ego and decisive action

• Why discomfort can be where your greatest growth happens