In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Murali Murthy, Executive Coach, Leadership Advisor, and Growth Strategist, shares his approach to helping CEOs, senior executives, and high-potential professionals elevate their leadership impact while scaling their businesses. Drawing on decades of experience as a transformational mentor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author, Murali explains how personal branding, effective communication, and AI literacy are reshaping careers and leadership today.
Interview By Kripa Anand
Murali Murthy is a renowned Executive Coach, Leadership Advisor, and Growth Strategist dedicated to helping CEOs, senior executives, and organizations elevate leadership impact and accelerate business growth. With a proven track record as an acclaimed keynote speaker, transformational mentor, and bestselling author, Murali empowers leaders to navigate complexity, align teams, and drive breakthrough results.
As the author of Unstoppable YOU, The ACE Principle, and Unleash Your WOW, Murali shares practical, actionable frameworks for personal and professional transformation. His presentations, workshops, and executive programs help individuals and organizations uncover their unique edge and thrive in today’s hyper-competitive world.
You wear many hats—executive coach, leadership advisor, growth strategist, and bestselling author. What originally inspired you to move into coaching and professional development, and how did that journey shape the creation of ACE World Coaching?
My journey into coaching began long before I officially became a branding coach. Throughout my career, I noticed that many talented individuals struggled not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked clarity, visibility, or a strategy for communicating their value.
I realized that success is often determined as much by mindset, relationships, communication, and personal branding as by technical expertise. In today’s world, it’s not enough to do great work. You must also build a strong personal brand that clearly communicates who you are, what you stand for, and the value you bring to others.
I often say: “You do not rise or fall to the level of your technical skills, but you do rise or fall to the level of your communication skills”.
As I reflected on the impact I wanted to create, I developed a personal mission: to “light 10,000 candles.” For me, each candle represents a life transformed, a leader developed, a career accelerated, or a dream realized.
That vision led me to create ACE World Coaching. Our goal is simple: help people become recognized for their strengths, respected for their expertise, and remembered for their impact through effective coaching, leadership development, communication skills, and personal branding.
Every coaching conversation, workshop, keynote, and training program is another opportunity to light a candle and help someone build a meaningful career, a powerful personal brand, and a lasting legacy.
You often say personal branding is no longer optional in today’s economy. Why is it more important than ever, and what are some of the biggest mistakes professionals make when trying to build their reputation and visibility?
“Perception matters”. In today’s world, perception is everything! Whether you are an individual or a business, people often form opinions about you before they ever meet you.
Employers, clients, partners, and even colleagues are researching online, reviewing your content, and assessing your professional presence. Whether you actively manage your personal brand or not, you already have one.
Personal branding is not about self-promotion. It’s about managing perception and ensuring that your expertise, values, and contributions are visible to the people who matter most. A strong personal brand helps establish credibility, build trust, and create opportunities.
One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is believing that hard work alone will get them noticed. Performance matters, but visibility matters too. Another common mistake is treating personal branding as a logo, headline, or social media exercise rather than a long-term reputation-building strategy.
The most effective personal brands are built through consistent action: delivering results, sharing knowledge, building relationships, helping others, and showing up authentically.
Your personal brand is ultimately what people say about you when you’re not in the room. The question is not whether you have a personal brand. The question is whether you are intentionally shaping it.
AI and rapid change are transforming careers and leadership expectations. How do you see artificial intelligence reshaping the future of work, and what can professionals do right now to stay relevant, leverage AI wisely, and still protect their uniquely human advantage?
AI is not simply changing jobs. AI is changing how work gets done. Tasks that once required hours can now be completed in minutes. As a result, professionals who learn to work alongside AI will have a significant advantage over those who ignore it.
However, AI will not replace the qualities that make us human. Creativity, empathy, judgment, relationship-building, leadership, adaptability, and ethical decision-making remain difficult to automate.
My advice is simple: learn AI, don’t fear it. In fact, I encourage my clients to treat AI as a trusted friend, strategic partner, and personal branding partner. AI can help you generate ideas, refine your thinking, create content, strengthen your personal brand, prepare for interviews, improve communication, and increase productivity. When used wisely, it becomes a powerful collaborator rather than a competitor.
At the same time, invest in skills that machines cannot easily replicate. Strengthen your communication skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and ability to influence others.
The future belongs to professionals who combine technological capability with human connection. The winners will not be those who compete against AI, but those who learn how to amplify their strengths through it while continuing to build trust, build relationships, strengthen their personal brand, and create meaningful impact.
Communication and executive presence sit at the heart of your work with CEOs, newcomers, and high‑potential professionals. What specific communication skills and habits separate influential leaders from the rest—and how can someone become more visible and influential without feeling like they’re constantly self‑promoting?
The most influential leaders are not necessarily the loudest people in the room. They are often the clearest communicators. They listen actively, ask thoughtful questions, communicate with purpose, and make others feel heard and valued.
One of my favorite quotes comes from leadership expert John C. Maxwell: “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” To me, that captures the essence of communication and executive presence. Executive presence is not about authority, titles, or charisma alone. It is about how you make people feel, the confidence you inspire, and the trust you build.
Several habits consistently separate influential leaders from the rest: clarity of message, active listening, emotional intelligence, storytelling, confidence under pressure, and the ability to simplify complex ideas. Great leaders also communicate consistently. They don’t just speak when there’s a problem; they create ongoing dialogue and connection.
For those who dislike self-promotion, I encourage a mindset shift. Visibility is not about talking about yourself. It’s about sharing ideas, lessons, experiences, and insights that help others. When you focus on providing value rather than seeking attention, visibility becomes a form of service.
Influence grows when people repeatedly see you contributing, solving problems, and helping others succeed. Over time, credibility compounds into trust, trust becomes influence, and influence becomes leadership.
You’ve helped hundreds of people reinvent themselves, land roles in new countries, and step into leadership with more confidence. For readers who want to accelerate their success or even completely reinvent their career, where should they begin—and what final piece of advice would you offer about discovering purpose and becoming “recognized, respected, and remembered” in their field?
Reinvention begins with self-awareness.
In my coaching, I teach a simple framework called ACE: Absorb, Comprehend, and Excel. First, ‘Absorb’ new knowledge, experiences, and feedback. Then ‘Comprehend’ what it means for your unique situation, strengths, and aspirations. Finally, apply those insights to ‘Excel’ in your career, business, leadership, and life. ACE is a framework that anyone can use to grow and reinvent themselves.
Anyone can start by identifying the gap between where they are and where they want to be. That gap may need new skills, stronger networks, greater visibility, better communication and a stronger personal brand. Then I advise them to take consistent action. Small actions performed consistently often create extraordinary results over time.
I’ve seen newcomers rebuild successful careers, professionals transition into leadership roles, and entrepreneurs transform struggling businesses. In every case, success came from persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to keep learning.
My final advice is this: focus less on chasing titles and more on creating value. When you solve meaningful problems, help others succeed, and communicate your value effectively, recognition follows naturally.
The goal is not simply to be known, but to be respected for your expertise and remembered for the positive difference you make. In short: ACE your career, ACE your leadership, and ACE your life.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
