A Leader with Presence with Jeff Gallinat – Episode 79

“Having an ecosystem of people who actually can talk to you, help you, and support you may be the most important thing, not only for your professional and personal success, but for your life.”

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Episode Summary

Jeff Gallinat is the Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations at Cisco Systems. In this capacity, Jeff is responsible for leading Cisco’s global manufacturing and logistics operations. He also leads the teams responsible for the design of Cisco’s global operational network, the supply chain security, and the business management of Cisco’s operational partners. Jeff has a depth of experience in global manufacturing and supply chain that is unrivalled. Prior to joining Cisco, he held the role of Vice President of Global Manufacturing at the Lenovo Group and spent twenty-three years at IBM tackling roles in manufacturing, procurement, and supply chain. Jeff is a thoughtful leader, who leads with both head and heart. He brings a unique combination of passion in helping people grow and apply a rigorous operational discipline with the focus on learning and continuous improvement.

In this episode, Aviv and Jeff expound on the global aspect of Jeff’s role, including the decision to move his family to China for a number of years in order to take on a new challenge. This is one particular aspect of Jeff’s role that he enjoys the most as he finds the diversity of minds and culture fascinating as well as the ability to integrate that diversity across functions, partners and businesses within his industry. Jeff shares his ideas on curiosity, leadership, and confronting fear in the corporate workplace. Jeff speaks to the tremendous amount of value he places on hard work and accountability. Finally, Jeff touches on his process for constructing a successful team.

Essential Learning Points:

• 00:46 – Introducing today’s guest, Jeff Gallinat
• 02:57 – The accomplishment Jeff is most proud of
• 04:56 – The moment Jeff realized the importance of accountability
• 07:20 – Key leadership principles that Jeff employs in his current role at Cisco
• 09:53 – What informs Jeff’s awareness as a leader
• 13:20 – The decision to take on a new role in China and how it impacted Jeff and his family
• 19:18 – Jeff speaks to what inspired him during his formative years, including mentors he has worked with
• 25:30 – How Jeff is maximizing the growth and learning opportunities as they present themselves
• 27:48 – Informal leaders that can make or break an organization’s success
• 30:22 – How Jeff constructs a successful team and brings out the best in each individual
• 36:51 – Jeff’s philosophy on leadership
• 43:23 – Lessons Jeff has learned through challenge and struggle in his early career
• 47:29 – The importance of confronting fear
• 54:26 – Advice Jeff would give his younger self
• 58:52 – Two learning Jeff values above all others
• 1:01:41 – Parting words of wisdom and insights from Jeff
• 1:02:47 – Now it’s your turn, lead from a place of ownership and love, listen to your intuition, and practice high-quality engagement and listening with the right people

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