'Women should stop second-guessing themselves if they want the corner office'

Many consider Padmasree Warrior, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Cisco, to be the most likely successor to CEO John Chambers.
CD caught up with Warrior on her recent visit to New Delhi to gauge what makes her tick in a space where obsolescence often cuts short positions in the drop of a hat. Edited excerpts:

ET: You’ve figured quite often in the world’s most powerful lists and ranked 71 in Forbes Most Powerful Women. What does power mean to you?

Padmasree Warrior: For me, power is leaving behind a legacy. It is about changing the status quo and making a difference that is lasting. In the business world, that would translate into building or transforming a company or extending a company’s portfolio into a new area. Outside business, it could be changing something in the political or cultural context.

ET: So how long do you think the legacy should remain?

Padmasree Warrior: Power is not something you can hold on to forever. I think the impact has to be more than a year and less than a decade (laughs). That’s because a lot of things in technology come and go, and in my role, I have to pick something that is truly going to be a market transition.

ET: What kind of responsibility does power bring on?

Padmasree Warrior: The key responsibility is one of accountability. In my role, I feel really accountable to our customers, our shareholders, our employee base. I think when you’re a leader, you’re truly having the responsibility that you are accountable for many people’s jobs.

So helping people grow in their careers or delivering solutions to customers is the biggest responsibility. The trick is how you realize accountability without abusing power. That’s because a title gives you authority. It doesn’t necessarily give you a followership. A leader has to build that followership.

My title as CTO gives me authority on certain things but it’s through influence that I create a followership of people who believe in the vision and strategy, who want to come and work with us, whether they’re partners or startups we invest in or whether it’s customers that do business with us. It is the sphere of influence that defines a leader.

ET: You have been quoted in an interview that there is no such thing as a perfect job.

Padmasree Warrior: It was in the context of using it as a coaching moment for people who are young and aspiring to grow in their careers. Sometimes we wait for the perfect job to show up before we make a change. In my career, I have done so many different jobs. My degree is in chemical engineering. I started as a manufacturing engineer in the semiconductor industry.

Now I lead a global internet technology company. Throughout my career, I’ve approached opportunities by asking myself if I have the skill sets to deliver.

At the same time, if it is something that is very evolutionary, then you are not learning as an individual. You also have to have some parts of the job that you don’t know, that you want to learn.

So I normally look for a 70:30 mix—70% I feel that I know I want to make a difference and 30% is new to me and I want to learn. Actually, not knowing everything about a job makes me a better leader because you don’t come with any presuppositions.

ET: What advice for women aspiring to the corner office?

Padmasree Warrior: The numbers are still small and we have a long way to go. The first thing I would like to tell women is to be confident. Women have a tendency to second-guess themselves. They have to exude confidence and people have to see that. Second, they should be opinionated.

People, especially in India, feel it’s counter-cultural if women have an opinion. I actually respect people who are opinionated. Though it’s good to have an opinion, don’t be dogmatic. Be willing to listen to other people’s views. Third, women should be passionate about what they’re doing.

ET: How do you describe your leadership style?

Padmasree Warrior: I believe in being authentic, especially given the access people have today. When I was growing up early in my career, we were all told to act in a certain way. If you were leading people, you had to be the boss and not show your expression and almost be viewed as someone who’s a robot. These days, people don’t value that. They see through it.

So being authentic is something I truly pride myself in. I’m very direct and decisive and people know what they see is what they get. I’m considered to be someone who can see the future being a visionary. My role is to see around the corners and figure out where transitions are happening. That defines me as a leader. I surround myself with people and do a lot of mentoring and coaching. People give me energy.