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One World, One Industry: Six Leadership Lessons from 20 Years in the Electronics Industry
The orchestra conductor is an apt metaphor for the successful leader.
Effective leadership often boils down to the ability to inspire others (the symphony) to their best work, while keeping and driving the overall vision of the organization (the musical score).
Freed from the minutiae of day-to-day operations, leaders are called upon to consider the “big picture” and then make the tough strategic decisions that could make or break their team’s work. I’ve spent more than 20 years in the electronics industry, beginning as an engineer for General Electric in upstate New York.
For the last four years, I have served as president and CEO of IPC, a global trade association for the electronics industry. In this role, I have been exposed to all types of problems faced by the CEOs of our more than 3,700 member companies worldwide. In addition, I have witnessed innovative management and leadership techniques employed across dozens of different cultures.
It would be impossible for me to capture all of the qualities exhibited by the most successful executives of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers in this short space. I can, however, highlight the themes I’ve observed and the lessons I’ve learned in my own career.
1. Integrity trumps all.
It’s trite to say that the world is small, but it’s true. Customers, suppliers, and manufacturers all talk to each other. Those who have the best reputations and longest tenures in this industry are honest to a fault. In addition, to succeed in the most demanding jobs, you have to be able to sleep well at night. The lesson here? Always, always do the right thing. The dividends will follow.
2. Stretch.
Do not be satisfied with the status quo. Understand and consistently seek to learn how things might be better and what resources are required to get there. Then, build a plan and start executing and refining until you get there. The moment you become complacent is the moment you begin to lose market share to your competitors.
3. It is all about the people.
There's an adage in HR circles that “people dont' quit companies, they quit managers." Regardless of your business, at a certain level you’re only as good as your team. Thus, the utmost care must be taken to identify, recruit, train, engage, and retain your best employees at all levels:
- Identify and hire the right people. Whether it’s through an employee referral program, aggressive recruiting, targeted advertising, or a combination of the above, casting a wide net will ensure you have a robust talent pipeline.
- Take care of your staff. Ensure that they are a diverse group and not just clones of you. Mix it up a bit (incorporating different personalities, experience levels, backgrounds, etc.) to craft the best team.
- Most importantly, encourage and enable an open culture where constructive feedback and different opinions are embraced and encouraged. By embracing a positive and safe corporate culture, ideas can be hashed out on their merits, allowing the best to emerge.
4. Remove the bad apples.
This is a team, not a family.
With your family you have to deal with your sister-in-law because she married your brother—there’s no other option.
In contrast, teams are carefully assembled by owners and managers. As in sports, if a player is no longer good for the team (either by choice or by capability), it’s time for a trade.
Further, trades are often best for the poor teammates in the long run. People deserve to work where they will flourish into their best selves—so leaders should not shy away from tough decisions when some are not in the right place or not living up to their potential.
With your family you have to deal with your sister-in-law because she married your brother—there’s no other option.
In contrast, teams are carefully assembled by owners and managers. As in sports, if a player is no longer good for the team (either by choice or by capability), it’s time for a trade.
Further, trades are often best for the poor teammates in the long run. People deserve to work where they will flourish into their best selves—so leaders should not shy away from tough decisions when some are not in the right place or not living up to their potential.
5. Tackle the hard things first.
It’s critical for leaders to recognize and un-derstand their most critical tasks of the moment and focus on them. The key word here is focus—to avoid the distraction of the million other things that are easier, more interesting, more fun, more whatever. Then grind away at that most important thing.
The results? You finish the most important thing. You discover your other tasks, if still relevant, are easier to do once you’ve accomplished that first thing. And you find that day in, day out, week after week and month after month, your best efforts have been spent on the areas most valuable to you and your organization.
The results? You finish the most important thing. You discover your other tasks, if still relevant, are easier to do once you’ve accomplished that first thing. And you find that day in, day out, week after week and month after month, your best efforts have been spent on the areas most valuable to you and your organization.
6.Take care of yourself.
If you are not eating well, sleeping enough, or exercising with regularity, your performance—and that of your team—will suffer. You owe it to yourself, your team, and your stakeholders to perform at your best. So ensure you are appropriately balancing your work and health—emotional as well as physical.
While far from an exhaustive list, these six keys have helped me grow in my career in the fast-changing field of the electronics industry. I hope they are of value to you as well.
Editor's Note: This article which appeared in the October 2016 issue of The PCB Magazine.
