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Juniper Networks’ CTO On Combating The IT Talent Shortage And Creating A Diverse Pipeline Through Mentorship
Gina Narcisi
‘I have always argued for this whenever I have to review somebody’s promotion to vice president. I always ask, who have they mentored? I use it in the evaluation of a person [because] they should be paying it forward,’ Juniper Networks’ Chief Technology Officer Raj Yavatkar tells CRN.
Tell us about when you discovered the importance of mentorship
My journey started with Intel, then VMware, Google Cloud, and now [Juniper Networks]. Throughout my career, I have focused on helping people and mentoring. I started doing that because [of] Andy Grove [Hungarian-American businessman and third CEO of Intel], who was a great leader and strategist. He used to say that mentorship is important. He mentored people, but he also got mentored. One of the things I’ve thought about over the years is how mentors are different from coaches and managers. Managers are trying get the best output, so always telling you to finish your quarterly goals and deliverables. A coach, like in basketball, [is] sitting on the sidelines yelling at you: ‘Do this, don’t do this, do this.’ I do believe that mentor is something different from manager. A mentor’s job is to put herself or himself in your shoes, be more empathetic, create possibilities, rather than giving you instructions on when to shoot.
