Roar with Lakecia Gunter Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
A few years ago, I was presented with an opportunity to leave the engineering career field and lead a product marketing team for one of Intel’s largest businesses. On top of that, I was given the chance to work for a leader who was on my dream sheet of leaders I always wanted to work for, in the company.
As you can imagine, doubt and a little bit of fear crept in, as this wasn’t my area of expertise and would definitely take me outside of my comfort zone. I realized that the fear I felt was a call to action for me to tap into my roar, so I took the opportunity and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding roles I have had in my career.
My guest today knows all about being fearless, taking risks, failing early and often, and winning big. In this episode, Ronnie and I talk about stepping outside of your comfort zone to innovate, create, and inspire others to achieve more. Ronnie shares his career story and everything he has learned in his professional journey, and throughout our entire conversation, he keeps giving essential pieces of advice on how to improve your leadership skills.
Ronnie Vasishta is currently the Vice President and General Manager of the Networking and Configurable Logic Division and eASIC Product Group within the Programmable Solutions Group at Intel Corporation. He has over 30 years of experience in general management, marketing, wafer manufacturing, strategic planning, and operational management in the semiconductor industry. Prior to joining Intel through the acquisition of eASIC Corporation in 2018, Ronnie served as the President and CEO of eASIC.
Ronnie is a leader who has a passionate curiosity for learning, fueled by a fearlessness and a willingness to take risks, that have enabled him to deliver some of the most innovative technologies to the marketplace and lead the foremost technology companies in Silicon Valley.
He is always willing to invest time to help others around him grow and thrive, so listen to Episode 04 of Roar, to learn how the leadership arena requires humility, simplicity, and a constant drive for learning, but also, at the same time, boldness, fearlessness, and courage to take risks and win big.
Some questions I ask:
- Who were your biggest influences growing up and what did you learn from them? (07:10)
- How did you get comfortable with taking risks and embracing the unknown in the face of fear? (14:11)
- How do you stay focused and deliver results in the face of great change, uncertainty, and turmoil? (22:36)
- What do you know about leadership today that you didn’t know 20 years ago? (32:12)
- If you have any downtime, what are you watching on Netflix or what book are you reading right now? (37:06)
- What advice would you give your younger self today? (38:28)
In this episode, you will learn:
- How Ronnie’s background shaped him to be the successful leader he is today. (04:33)
- The moment Ronnie found his roar. (10:26)
- The story of one of the biggest risks Ronnie took, and the lessons he has learned from that experience. (17:04)
- How reliable members of Ronnie’s team have had an impact on his leadership role. (26:12)
- The importance of having relationships and friendships forged in challenging times. (29:30)
- Ronnie’s traits that keep him motivated to stay in the game even though he could easily retire after having accomplished so much already. (34:43)
- The reason why, from Ronnie’s perspective, climbing a mountain is better than jumping from an airplane. (36:43)
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Resources mentioned in the episode:
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