Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/343997
We Mean Business > the IT giant—in part, by acting a bit like therapists. "As a talent leader, that is the essence of what I do," she says, "under- standing the psychology of leaders, the system around them, and helping them reach their potential and beyond." Diversity Woman spoke with Frangos about how to "train" people who have already reached the top, how to connect with workers in diferent spheres, and how good business savvy can come from following your heart. DW: What is your role as head of Global Executive Talent Management? CF: We help accelerate the readiness of our executive portfolio—the current and next generation—to transform Cisco and help it become the number one IT company. My team focuses on coaching and devel- oping executives, and sometimes doing assessments of them. It's about develop- ing those in the C-suites and fnding some of the undiscovered strengths that can help them in their strategic roles. DW: Is the goal of the program to bring out strengths, to work over weakness- es—or both? CF: A lot of it is helping them discover their strengths. Sometimes they have an awareness of those strengths, and other times it's about increasing their self- awareness. Sometimes we'll fnd ourselves saying, "Hey, everyone thinks you're too opinionated, or that you only have one point of view," and they say, "Oh … really?" So sometimes it's stating the obvious, or sending a subtle message and giving them an insight that they never had. DW: How does your psychology training pay off in this role? CF: It's about being a good listener. You pick up so much more when you just lis- ten to people. Listening is one of those underutilized executive skills. When they By Katr ina Brown Hunt P lenty of kids want to grow up to be a doctor—a veterinarian or a pediatrician. But when she was a kid in Boston, Cassandra Frangos wanted to be a diferent kind of healer. "My mum recently found a picture I made in grade school when I was asked, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'" says Frangos, still based in Boston. "I said, 'I want to be a psychologist—and help people.'" She wasn't just playing head games. In college, Frangos studied both business and psychol- ogy, and today, after several years in management consulting and hu- man resources, she helps fne-tune the cream of the crop at Cisco, as the head of its Global Executive Talent Management. Her team focuses on the highest executives of This Cisco exec explains how to identify and nurture senior talent Cassandra Frangos d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N 21 The Executive Whisperer Power Suit