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Leading Global Teams Shapes Tech Executive Leadership Skills
Up Close & Virtual® interviews Rhonda Holt, Vice President of the Grid Engineering Program Office at Sun Microsystems. With 20 years in technology, Rhonda shares her insights about the growing need for global perspectives and experience leading geographically dispersed teams. Read Rhonda’s interview...
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Tell us briefly about your company, your area of expertise and responsibilities:
My area of expertise is software and hardware product development engineering. My formal education and most of my professional career have been spent leading product development organizations and efforts. Currently, I lead the Grid Engineering Operations functions at Sun Microsystems. We’ve recently announced the availability of the first Public Utility Grid system in the market.
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Describe a day in your professional life...
A typical day in the office starts at about 7:30 a.m. and I usually take the first hour of my day to review my notes and action items from the previous day, review my calendar and in general prepare for the meetings and briefings of the day. I also use the early morning to organize my thoughts and directions for my staff and also to review and respond to email in my in-basket over a cup of my favorite tea. My first appointments usually being at about 8:30 a.m. and I’m routinely in meetings with peer executives, staff members, Sun business partners or Sun customers for most of the day. If I have a break at mid-day, its usually snacks at my desk. I make a real effort to try to have my last meeting conclude by 5:00p.m.
My meetings with peer executives tend to be for discussing business strategy and making decisions about direction. Meetings with my staff members are usually one on one sessions for coaching and development of as well as group meetings for tracking, measuring, and monitoring the progress of my teams execution. With partners and customers are all about listening and understanding their business challenges and communicating the value proposition of Sun’s rich and diverse set of products, solutions, and services.
I spend the last hour with my assistant reviewing my schedule for the remainder of the week and identifying any meetings that need to added as a result of the days activities. I try really hard to be out the door by 6:00 p.m. each day. Sometimes I’m successful and other times I’m not. It really depends on what’s happening and what I need to get done.
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How is technology impacting the nature of your work and how you do your work?
The great thing about technology is that over the last few years better tools and connectivity have made it easier than ever to work from any place, at any time, using any device. For me personally, this means that I’m always connected to what’s happening in the office, even when I travel or am in meetings at partner or customer locations. My handheld device is a phone as well as a tool for receiving and sending e-mail. So basically, travel time that used to be dead-time, is now extremely productive. I can review my entire in-basket while sitting in the airport waiting to catch a plane. My team has access to me all the time and can easily connect with me when they need to whether I’m physically present or not.
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What kind of traits/skills or characteristics will a person need to be successful in your industry/company?
This industry is becoming a more global business and I believe that in the future, in addition to basic leadership qualities, a successful leader is going to need experience in leading geographically dispersed teams, have international business experience, particularly in Asia and be multi-lingual.
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Was there a lesson or skill learned from your first job that has been invaluable on your career path?
My first job was as a technical individual contributor and it has been extremely influential on my career success. Those early assignments in my career allowed me to hone my technical skills, my interpersonal skills, as well as develop tremendous self-confidence and trust in my own capabilities and judgment. This self-confidence has allowed me to be somewhat fearless in the assignments and roles that I’ve chosen for myself over the years. I think the willingness and comfort with taking on tough assignments has helped propel my career forward.
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My work ethic is simple:
Work very hard and do your very best, coupled
Always do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it.
Communicate early and often so no one is surprised or disappointed.
--Rhonda Holt
--Rhonda Holt |
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Has Higher Education been important in your career path? What educational advice would you give to viewers? Tell us the path you took to where you are today.
My undergraduate formal engineering education has certainly been important and was the seed that started my career. Graduate education has not been a factor in my career, I’ve always been lucky enough to have high profile assignments that were more significant to my career path than further education. However, I believe times are different now and if I were just starting my career today, I would pursue a graduate degree.
In today’s competitive market and global economy in my field and industry, education is a distinguishing factor when companies are selecting talent. Therefore, I’d definitely advise getting a graduate degree. I also think that if you’re an engineer, in addition to a good technical foundation, you should also pursue a business education supplemented by a sound dose of international relations and foreign language. Don’t just go for advanced technical degrees, broaden your business experience.
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What is your work ethic, and how did it develop? Why do you get up to go to work everyday? What inspires you? i.e., money, power, challenge service, etc.
Well, I started my career on the technical tract and distinguished myself and gained notice by really being good at what I did, as well as demonstrating early willingness to take on more challenging assignments. This led to leadership roles as a technologist and then eventually as a manager of technologists. As I took on managerial assignments and delivered the goods, this led to increased managerial responsibility through the ranks and eventually led to my executive roles and assignments. I think this was a very classic approach to my career advancement. My work ethic is simple. Work very hard and do your very best, coupled with always do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. Communicate early and often so no one is surprised or disappointed. This has been my work ethic for as long as I can remember and I guess it fundamentally comes from my parents and the values that they taught me as a child.
I’m very optimistic and curious about the world that I live in and I’ve been extremely fortunate to work in an industry that has a profound effect on how we experience life on a day to day basis. Technology has been at the forefront of mankind’s development for thousands of years and has overcame many obstacles. I’m excited to go to work everyday because I’m always thinking that I’m working on something that’s going to change the world.
Although all of those are nice to have, I’m most inspired by an opportunity to learn something new and to work among people from which I can learn. Working with really capable people just makes you better.
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What advice would you give to potential job applicants to help them succeed?
I think employers are looking for skill coupled with flexibility, and willingness to learn.
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Are there any emerging trends in your industy/company that will impact your hiring criteria?
Globalization is having a huge impact on the hiring criteria for companies in this industry.
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Tell us about your Corporate Diversity/Women’s Programs: What is your company doing to educate employees on valuing diversity in the workplace? FYI: Our viewers overwhelmingly state that Corporate Diversity Programs are important in attracting them for employment.
Sun maintains a culture that attracts and retains talented people to achieve a goal of building the most effective and powerful network for a global community of customers, partners, and employees. Sun aims to bring together people from around the world by building on a foundation of open communities.
Sun’s Global Inclusion Employee Resource Groups are networks of Sun employees who share a common identity, characteristic, or set of interests. Current Employee Resource Groups include Sun Women, Asian American Diversity Network, Black Employee Network, Society of Latinos, and Gays, Lesbians, and Friends. These groups exist for the betterment of Sun, engaging themselves in initiatives and activities which contribute towards Sun’s success and ensure a work environment in which each candidate, employee, and customer is treated with respect, dignity, fairness, and cultural sensitivity.
The efforts of Sun’s Employee Resource Groups complement Global Inclusion focus areas of attracting and retaining diverse top talent and the attraction and retention of a diverse global customer base. Interested employees voluntarily subscribe to Employee Resource Groups through established online aliases. These aliases, open to all interested employees, provide members with opportunity to exchange information and ideas, network with those sharing similar interests, and plan sponsored activities.
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What strategies does your company employ to retain, recruit &/or reach out to Women in the Workplace?
Sun is very committed to supporting and nourishing talent and skills in their employees, especially females. Sun’s Employee Resource Group, Sun Women (SunW) is a volunteer organization committed to promoting an awareness of women’s strategical issues at Sun, and fostering networking, mentoring, and leadership opportunities which encourage personal, professional, and organizational growth. In addition to regular meetings, events and training, SunW supports recognition for women at Sun through establishing top women awards to break down barriers.
One of Sun’s largest mentorship programs, the Sun Engineering Enrichment and Development program (SEED), pairs up promising new college recruits, as well as established employees, with senior staff at Sun (including Distinguished Engineers, VPs, Fellows, and Directors) who have volunteered to be mentors. About 25% of SEED participants are women and about 20% are employees in countries outside the U.S (mostly in China, India, and Europe).The SEED program provides these individuals with resources and support that gives them more opportunity to succeed and flourish in their careers. SEED participants have seen the benefits of the program?in addition to regular meetings, events and activities, participants, as a group, earn promotions at four times the company average and receive double the number of highest performance ratings of Sun’s overall employee base.
Half of the company’s 38,000 global employees participate in Open Work, a program which allows employees the flexibility to work anywhere, anytime. Open Work allows me to be connected with my team and office, even though I may be traveling or at a different site. Open Work increases my productivity while also allowing for a work/life balance and the ability to puruse hobbies and goals that are important outside of work.
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What challenges have you faced in business because you are a woman? Share your strategies for overcoming them.
I think in a field like engineering, traditionally male-dominated, as a woman you always have to deal with the issue of having to prove your competence over an over again. I’ve always managed this by extreme competence. Excellence is a great equalizer and ultimately has to be respected by everyone.
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Advice for Job Seekers:
In addition to basic leadership qualities, a successful leader is going to need experience in leading geographically dispersed teams, have international business experience, particularly in Asia and be multi-lingual.
--Rhonda Holt
--Rhonda Holt |
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How do you maintain balance in your life? or Do you?!
Sometimes I’m balanced and sometimes I’m not. There are some weeks where I do a great job of managing my time so that I feel like I’m very balanced and then again there are weeks where the needs of the work drive me to be completely not balanced. I don’t resent these weeks , but think of it more as doing what needs to get done. I try not to stress out on pondering whether or not I’m balanced because I think everyone’s definition of balance is different and very personal. If I think balanced then I am.
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Thank you Rhonda Holt for sharing your insights and experience!
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