What I learned from Mr. He Ming at Huawei – Part 3

Continuing from last week, today I will share another lesson I learned from Mr. He Ming, who was the global head for Network Solutions and my Boss in the Headquarters.

Diversity is a “Must”, and not “Good to Have”

When I was in Huawei and leading the Network Solutions Business Unit, I was cautioned about the fact that the majority of the decision making lies with the Chinese leaders. But Mr. He Ming made me see things in a different light. He made me the in-charge of India and made me the first non-Chinese leader of a country. In the first annual sales conference that I attended, I was the first non-Chinese Director among 17 Global Regions. Mr. He Ming made my case as an example of things to come and said that as Huawei grows and becomes more Global, they will have more local leaders and add diversity to the team.

He also initiated hiring of global consultants and thought leaders in the corporate team with aim to add strength of diversity into the corporate team. He believed that success lies in diversity and globalization of the people as well.

All these initiatives paid dividend as Huawei Network Division became the first of the Business Units that crossed the $10B in revenues ahead of the Wireless Unit.

I guess I do not need to re-emphasize this point. I do wish that all of you consider diversity in a holistic way, and as leaders build teams that have a mix of representation. I am sure that will pay dividends in the long run.

Stay tuned for more next week.