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In this episode of The Leader Show with Lou Carter interviews Sanjay Poonen, CEO and President of Cohesity. Sanjay delves into Cohesity’s distinct culture and values that have earned it recognition as one of the Most Loved Workplaces.
He underscores the significance of upholding Cohesity’s R-A-D-I-O values: Respect, Attitude, Delivery, Integrity, Obsession that helped foster a culture of feedback, growth, and accountability at the company. Additionally, Sanjay emphasizes the importance of accessible leadership, diversity, and inclusion, alongside Cohesity’s commitment to responsible AI and employee development.
Hello, everyone, and a warm welcome to another exciting episode of The Leader Show with Lou Carter. Sanjay Poonen, CEO and President of Cohesity, is joining us today. Cohesity specializes in creating software solutions that enable IT experts to back up, manage, and analyze data across various systems or cloud services. It is ranked number 36th in the 2023 Global Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces.
As for Sanjay, he has a history of scaling businesses and developing strong teams. Starting his career with pivotal positions at Microsoft and Apple, Sanjay boasts an impressive educational background with an MBA from Harvard, a Master’s degree from Stanford, and a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth. His expertise and leadership are further recognized through his role on the board of Philips.
With that said, let’s find out what makes Cohesity a Most Loved Workplace®.
Firstly, Lou expresses eagerness to delve into Sanjay’s background, Cohesity’s RADIO values, and its recognition as a Most Loved Workplace. Sanjay, joining Cohesity 18 months prior, credits founder Mohit Aron for establishing the RADIO principles: Respect, Attitude, Delivery, Integrity, and Obsession.
He emphasizes not the novelty of these values but the importance of embodying them to sustain a strong corporate culture, drawing lessons from both successful and unsuccessful companies. His focus has been on living by these values to foster Cohesity’s esteemed culture.
Next, Sanjay discusses the importance of not just espousing values but living by them, illustrating this through leadership classes he has conducted for over 20 years across various companies. He highlights a revealing exercise where he presents values that seem universally admirable, only to reveal they belonged to Enron, underscoring the gap between professing values and actually embodying them.
Sanjay stresses the importance of self-assessment within the company, encouraging teams to rate how well they think they adhere to Cohesity’s RADIO values and to take constructive action based on these reflections. He believes that listening to feedback from both employees and customers is vital for fostering product innovation and customer obsession, which, combined with integrity, forms the foundation of a great company.
After that, Sanjay reflects on the significance of continuous, real-time feedback in leadership and management, moving beyond traditional annual or semi-annual reviews. He emphasizes the importance of immediate feedback after key meetings and presentations, including those with the board of directors, to foster a culture of learning and improvement.
Sanjay values openness to constructive criticism, especially from those in lower positions, to counteract the tendency of individuals to defer excessively to those in leadership roles. He advocates for a growth mindset, influenced by Carol Dweck’s work, suggesting that a willingness to learn and adapt is crucial for personal and organizational development.
According to Sanjay, this approach has shaped his leadership style and contributed to the evolution and transformation of his company’s culture.
Moving on, Lou discusses the concept of “Tabula Rasa,” or starting fresh, as a means to transition from success to either another success or a quick failure. He mentions that the idea isn’t to fail repeatedly but to fail quickly in order to achieve success sooner. This approach is about learning from failures and making necessary adjustments, not about being labeled a success or a failure.
Lou then asks Sanjay if this concept of quick failure for rapid learning and improvement has been observed in engineering and product development contexts, highlighting its relevance across different fields.
Sanjay responds by emphasizing learning from failure, integrity, and servant leadership. He shares his personal journey, highlighting the invaluable lessons from lows more than highs. He advocates for acknowledging failures, maintaining humility and hunger, and having zero tolerance for lack of integrity, citing Warren Buffet’s criteria for selecting people: energy, intelligence, and integrity, with the latter being crucial.
Furthermore, Sanjay stresses the importance of integrity starting at the top, modeling servant leadership to invert the traditional hierarchy, thereby prioritizing frontline workers. He agrees with Lou on the significance of ensuring integrity within the company to align actions with espoused values, reflecting on Enron’s failure as a lack of integrity at the top.
Sanjay concludes by underscoring the importance of accessibility and communication between executives and frontline employees, learning the most about the company through interactions with its root-level workers.
In the same vein, Sanjay emphasizes the importance of standing by people through successes and failures, underscoring the value of creating a safe environment for failure to foster growth and improvement. He believes in balancing feedback, accountability, and growth, advocating for empathy, self-awareness, and humility in leadership.
Inspired by leaders like Satya Nadella and embracing a growth mindset, Sanjay highlights the importance of a feedback loop and teachable moments, including private settings for discussing failures without public humiliation.
Accountability extends to all levels, with a culture that celebrates successes widely and examines failures privately to ensure learning and avoid repetition. This approach, according to Sanjay, encourages a learning organization where failures are not feared but are seen as opportunities for improvement and team cohesion.
Sanjay highlights the transformative leadership of Satya Nadella at Microsoft, attributing the company’s remarkable growth and market success to Nadella’s strategic vision and execution.
He emphasizes that leadership qualities are not confined to top executives; anyone can inspire change and influence others, regardless of their position. Sanjay stresses the importance of being a solutions-oriented leader, one who doesn’t just present problems but also proposes and implements solutions.
This approach involves being actively involved in problem-solving, offering guidance without taking over, and empowering teams to find their own solutions. Such leadership fosters a culture of autonomy, innovation, and accountability, where successes are celebrated, and individuals are encouraged to grow and potentially lead elsewhere. It contributes to a legacy of effective leadership and organizational growth.
Moving on, Lou suggests redefining “history” as “our story” to emphasize the collective contributions and achievements of individuals throughout time. He highlights the importance of acknowledging and honoring the people who have supported and guided us, including mentors and guides.
Sanjay follows up by elaborating on the importance of community involvement and giving back, positioning it as integral to Cohesity’s ethos alongside customer obsession. He underlines the dual engines driving the company: product innovation and customer obsession, with community engagement as another foundational pillar.
Additionally, Sanjay encourages voluntary participation in community service, particularly highlighting initiatives during Thanksgiving and through various charitable organizations. He believes these activities not only foster team building and reveal team members’ personal attributes but also cultivate a culture of generosity. It reinforces the belief that giving is more rewarding than receiving, thus strengthening the team’s cohesion and sense of purpose.
Subsequently, Sanjay discusses the importance of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in fostering a diverse and inclusive culture at Cohesity. He views ERGs as platforms for support and engagement in diversity, inclusion, and community service, emphasizing the concept of citizen leadership and philanthropy.
Sanjay strongly believes in the significant impact of having diverse voices in the workplace, including women and underrepresented minorities, not just for filling quotas but for strengthening the company. He highlights efforts to create role models at senior levels and ensure the company is welcoming and inclusive for all, including his own daughter.
Additionally, Sanjay mentions Cohesity’s recent strategic M&A move to expand and strengthen its market position. He stresses the importance of investing in employees’ development, even during economic downturns, by offering training and learning opportunities, underscoring the value of a learning organization.
Towards the end of the episode, Sanjay discusses the importance of responsibly harnessing the power of AI, likening its potential to both beneficial and destructive forces. He highlights Cohesity’s commitment to responsible AI development through its innovative project, Gaia, which aims to revolutionize its industry with its groundbreaking approach.
Sanjay’s dedication to leadership development is further emphasized through his personal involvement in the Leadership Now courses, reflecting his belief in the role of education and mentorship in fostering future leaders.
Thank you for your time!
