Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/343997
Most of these people are PhDs in science, so I just wanted to honor their profession and speak to them in their own language. DW: What disappointment or failure have you learned the most from in your career? CF: I wanted to keep my dad's business running for him after he got sick, and I wanted to see him retire. While I could keep it going for him, deep down I wanted to pursue other goals. I was disappointed that I couldn't sustain it. But this has helped me in my current career, because I realize the importance of being true to your goals and career desires, and I use that learning in coaching executives every day. Focus on your strengths, be realistic, and understand what you truly want from your career. DW: What are some of the benefits of training these top-drawer executives? CF: It helps them see the whole sys- tem, and that it's not all about "them." Tey need to think about how a leader- ship team can come together to guide the entire organization. At Cisco, while we are structured by function, the abil- ity of our leaders to plan and strategize across functions helps ensure integra- tion across product and services lines to deliver better business outcomes for our customers. When our leaders are having to work across their functions, they are having to think about the organization diferently. Diverse thinking across the leader- ship team usually results in a more well- thought-out plan and an ability to moti- vate our teams to execute fawlessly. DW: How do you get them to break out of their usual ways of thinking and interacting? CF: We have executive development ex- periences, where we get them out of their comfort zone and work on tangible busi- ness problems—like taking a sales leader and having him or her work on a problem in engineering. People walk out and say, "I now know what it feels like to be in your work with me, I can be a sounding board, a trusted advisor. I end up knowing so much about them both personally and professionally, and the psychology helps me in building trust quickly. DW: Growing up, did you feel like a future executive yourself ? Were you the class-president type? CF: No, I was the working-two-jobs-in- high-school type. I helped run my dad's 600-seat restaurant and worked in a bank while in school. DW: What kind of models were your parents for your business career? CF: My mum and dad were great role models. My dad came from a Greek fam- ily and grew his business from $500 to a very successful business. He had people working for him for 20 years, which was unheard of in the restaurant business. I quickly learned the importance of people leadership and loyalty and always treat- ing others as you want to be treated. Re- spect for one another is a Cisco value. DW: What led you into business consult- ing? CF: In school I did a double major in psy- chology and business and loved the mix of the two disciplines. I thought that would be a great combination for con- sulting. I wanted to learn a lot of indus- tries fast. DW: What sorts of lessons did you learn about those different industries early on? CF: I worked with a biotech frm, and worked with scientists who were bril- liant but didn't think about manage- ment, leadership, or organizational de- velopment, so I had to introduce them to a whole new discipline. Te CEO was also new and came from big pharma, so he wanted to put in place talent and or- ganizational development practices that we created from scratch. Along the way, I learned how to speak in their language— like, "Hey, let's run an experiment on your leadership at the moment," or "Hey, let's try a new formula for that strategy." We Mean Business > shoes." Or maybe they open up and talk about their own leadership challenges. Tese are not emerging leaders—these are high-level people who have already "made it"—but sometimes they feel like they always have to have the answer or be a role model. Here they can be vulnerable and learn from it. DW: As an HR expert, what do you look for when you're interviewing a potential employee? CF: I look for raw potential, passion, self- awareness, insight, and humility. DW: But don't most people come into an interview thinking that to be a strong candidate, you need to sell yourself and exude confidence? Where does humility fit in? CF: I talk a lot about authentic leader- ship—someone just has to be authentic. A lot of us at my ofce have psychology backgrounds, and we can pick it up in a minute if someone is posturing. DW: What books have you read recently that inspired you, either professionally or personally? CF: A good one is Quick and Nim- ble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation by Adam Bryant. I also love Geeks & Geezers by Warren Bennis and Robert Tomas—a classic about diferent gener- ations and how the "geek" can learn from the "geezer." DW: At Cisco, are the gaps between segments of the workforce mostly about that generation gap, different back- grounds, or something else? CF: I wouldn't call it an absolute that generation is the gap, but there is some of that—how does the young engineer learn from the seasoned engineer? But in other ways, it's that cross-functional element—that engineers are talking to the sale leaders and the salespeople are putting themselves in the shoes of the engineers, and how they can learn from each other. DW 22 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m