Deb Dutta

Technology Executive and Mentor for Leadership Development, Workplace Readiness and Personal Branding

Mar 17

Reach for the Sky…Get the Mango!

Telecom Service Providers will be big buyers of networking technology for the next 7-10 years. The evolution of the phone into a device for email, instant messaging, games, social networking and music or video means that the payloads that emit from the phones and run through the invisible pipes that connect to other phones are also changing. My organization, Brocade, builds these network pipes and we are transforming this industry through massive innovation!!! In the beginning of 2011, I hired a sales leader to drive our Service Provider business. He joined us with capability, passion, and a commitment to succeed! As this leader settled in, I suggested that he organize a team boot-camp, set some priorities, build team spirit and go after this burgeoning marketplace!

He agreed and asked me if I could kick off the two-day session and speak briefly to his team. Unfortunately I was on a business trip on the day but nevertheless agreed to speak over video-conference. Just before I headed out to the airport the previous day, I called the leader and his next level managers for a quick chat on what they were planning to accomplish in the boot-camp. They gave me a run down and the agenda was quite comprehensive. Then I asked the leader what near term goal he had for his team to accomplish during the two-day session… Continue reading »

Aug 24

Driving Organization Vision – Keep Visors & Shades on!!

Case Studies, Leadership 1 Comment »

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Organization, department and even team Visions are hugely instrumental in providing guidance and momentum, even passion and excitement to operating teams! A Vision can range from a GRAND organization wide shift to a FOCUSED department initiative for revenue growth, expense optimization or new business development.

The principle of unfolding the Vision will be the same – the scale will vary. If many chefs in a kitchen or many surgeons in a surgery concern you – then you get a good feel of what too many Visionaries or Visions can be for a smaller team or even for an organization.

Leadership with a Vision

Ability to conceive and build a Vision is a specific capability, not a general skill and does not even need to be one! Translating the Vision into specific short term measurable goals and actions, then laying out the implementation path is another competency. Thereafter, leading and participating in the implementation of the Vision & delivering predictable results is the third mutually exclusive competency.

Tagged with: Focus • Leadership • Traits • vision • Visionary Leadership

Jul 21

Focus – The Path to Perfect Execution!

Leadership, Workskills 1 Comment »

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Whether it is golf, tennis or other categories (especially individual sports), watch the intense gaze of these top pros between strokes, as they go though their motions or during a game break. Their eyes are focused but the gaze seems to be far away – looking at nothing, totally insulated from whatever surrounds them! They are actually mentally playing out their next moves on a high res mental video screen over and over. Seeing exactly what they are going to do next, soaking in it, visualizing it – then they take every conscious thought off their minds and execute that mental video. Sure enough the result is quite close to what they visualized if not better. I have tried this myself when playing and depending on my preparedness and commitment, I sometimes do get the result.

Why sometimes? Why not always? The key to successful visual results is “Preparedness”. Quite obvious, right? Trust me, I have come across many instances where I have seen trained professionals going out into execution mode without adequate preparedness … now that does not work, regardless of your caliber!

Follow this with very hard work (no shortcuts here!) regardless of your talent and thoroughly practice the skills Continue reading »