Leader’s Edge: Accelerating Through Crisis

Many of you have asked me about the roadmap of success across the Americas Region at Ciena. Like you, I’ve had the chance to reflect on the last few months – and, yes, some things remain uncertain. I strongly believe that continued success and strong performance in the midst of adversity is entirely possible, and it requires an even greater investment in our people and teams long before any crisis ever arises.

Our CEO Gary Smith often talks of getting the “people thing” right when describing our focus at Ciena. Obviously, he’s not trying to minimize the importance of executing across all areas of the business – including placing our customers first – but he highlights something often said but scarcely practiced. Getting the people thing right requires a leadership approach that embraces curiosity, empathy, awareness, empowerment, and inclusion.   

Our team has been fortunate enough to maintain a high level of performance despite a challenging set of circumstances. I believe that's the result of a few important factors that we have purposely developed in our team culture which enables us to thrive in any situation.

 We work as a cohesive leadership team to ensure each team member, at every level:

·       Feels valued, heard, and empowered

·       Is encouraged to challenge the status quo with creative, diverse opinions

·       Has input into the decision-making process

·       Believes they’re in a position to leverage their strengths, especially in times of crisis

 As a leadership team, we are 100% committed to getting the people thing right, which takes shape in a few important ways.

Putting People First

Creating genuine connections with your team starts long before any crisis. When I first came to Ciena, I had two choices: dive in to understand the business and solutions or get to know the people. For me, the team is, and always has been the lifeblood of any company, so I started by spending time with as many folks as I could at every level throughout the organization. That approach of having candid conversations and asking lots of questions has served me well throughout my career, and my time at Ciena has been no exception.

 It’s understandable why new leaders may feel the need to learn the intricacies of their products and solutions, and throughout that learning process, they get to know the people slowly over time. I strongly advocate for the opposite approach. The frontline team can teach you exponentially more about the market, your solutions, and your customers than any training material ever could.

Leadership is a persistent state of curiosity. For me, it’s about having both scheduled and impromptu conversations with the team and asking open-ended questions with an open mind. The goal is to understand who people are, where they’re coming from, and what they’re experiencing. I choose not to rely solely on the feedback and opinions of my direct leadership team, rather I make it a point to reach out and connect with people throughout the organization.

Not only do these conversations enable me to get to know individuals on a personal level, they also allow me to get a much wider view of the organization so that we can make decisions based on balanced perspectives. People understand their input is important and is taken into consideration as part of any strategy, program, or decision. This results in an organization built upon mutual trust. I’m not suggesting that everyone gets exactly what they want, but because we offer the team a seat at the table to discuss their opinions and express their point of view, the outcomes are more personally impactful. Getting the team behind a strategy they helped shape creates ownership and alignment more effectively than any top-down strategy.

Key takeaway: In times of crisis, it’s vital to stay involved, open and available. Keep asking questions. When the team knows you’re listening and are genuinely curious, you don’t need to deliver rousing speeches or use gimmicks. They’ll remain motivated knowing that their efforts as a team are the real reason that success continues through tough times.

Playing to Strengths

Not only do individual conversations result in getting to know team members on a personal level and understanding their perspectives on the business, those interactions also highlight professional strengths, unique skills and personality traits that can quickly be called upon during challenging times.

Like every leader, I’ve got an organization comprised of individuals with varying styles and personality types. We should align the business initiatives with the person best-suited for the task. If we need something to move fast in a high-pressure situation, I may ask the hard charger to step up. For those projects that require a more delicate, measured approach, we would look for a team member who can build consensus with finesse. The key is knowing the people of your organization and their individual strengths such that they can be leveraged in the best way for the task at hand. 

Key takeaway: Continuing to learn about the team and creating genuine connections is the only way to understand and embrace everyone’s unique strengths. While managing a team of similar personalities may seem easier, it actually causes gaps and leaves your team vulnerable. Differences in personality, experience (personal and professional), and skill are advantages that create a team that leans on each other. The uniqueness of each individual is a key competitive differentiator. Understanding where those strengths lie can only be achieved by investing the time in getting to know each person on the team as an individual, rather than a job function.

Trust Is the Root of Empowerment

The irony of leadership is that our successes don’t singularly belong to us – every win is a product of the team’s effort and expertise. Every day, we strive to create an environment of trust where each person has a voice and feels supported, empowered, and is expected to contribute to our overall success.

Our efforts as leaders must go beyond learning personality types and functional skillsets. It’s about getting to know the individual. If we’ve sown the seeds of connection, clarity, and empathy, those will be reflected and even magnified by the team in hard times. When we align the right people at the right time with the right tasks, we’re doing all we can to set them (and our organization) up for success.

During a crisis, many team members have the same concerns: they want to feel safe and know they are doing the right things. The better our connection is to our people, the more we’ve invested in the relationship and the more we play to their strengths, the stronger they’ll perform in any condition.

In order to accelerate through crisis, the “people thing” can’t be an afterthought. Rather, building a strong culture of empowered individuals must be a key core value and a top executable the leadership team should focus on daily.