TVOL - Tech Voices On Leadership

What changes when leadership stops being about you?In this episode of Tech Voices on Leadership, we sit down with Hendrik Blokhuis, who has spent 27 years at Cisco across eight very different roles.But this is not a story about staying comfortable in the same company.Hendrik talks openly about deliberately changing direction when a role starts becoming too familiar. Moving from engineering into sales. Taking roles where he was not the perfect candidate. Learning to lead without direct authority. And sometimes even stepping down in order to build new skills.We discuss:🔹 Why getting too comfortable can slow down your development🔹 Why your next role does not always have to be a step up🔹 How leadership changes when people no longer report directly to you🔹 Why trust, emotional intelligence and cultural awareness become more important as your responsibility grows🔹 What happens when leaders suddenly need to think about people, AI agents — and the interaction between themOne message stayed with us:“It’s not about you anymore. It’s about them.”And when we asked Hendrik how leaders should navigate the rapidly changing world of AI, his answer was refreshingly straightforward:“I haven’t got a clue, but we will find out.”Maybe that is also part of leadership today.Not pretending to have every answer, but staying curious, experimenting and continuing to learn.Thank you, Hendrik, for a very open and thoughtful conversation.What has been the biggest shift in your own leadership journey?#Tech #Leadership #TVOL

🎙️ What changes when you move from being the technical expert to helping a team succeed?In this episode of Tech Voices on Leadership, we sit down with Merete Asak, who leads the technical team in Cisco’s sales organization in Norway. Merete shares how her curiosity began with the early internet—and what she learned as she moved into leadership.We discuss:🔹 The shift from delivering results yourself to helping others deliver🔹 Why leading yourself is part of leading a team🔹 How to set priorities when everyone expects something different🔹 Why strong leaders build teams with people who are better than themselves🔹 How values like openness and portability can guide technology choices, including AIOne message stayed with us: “If you surround yourself with people who are as good as you, you should go somewhere else. Find those who are even better.”What helped you make the shift from technical expert to leader?#Tech #Leadership #TVOL

“If you’re leading five people or 20,000, you need to deal with the same challenges.”What a powerful message to close the first season of Tech Voices on Leadership.In Episode 13, we sit down with Oliver Tuszik, who leads close to 20,000 people across Cisco’s global sales organization.Oliver’s journey began as an electrical engineer. Leadership was never part of a carefully designed career plan. But by staying close to technology, learning from the people around him and being honest about his own strengths and weaknesses, he found his path.In this open and practical conversation, we explore:🔹 Why leadership challenges remain the same as organizations grow🔹 How passion, technical understanding and teamwork shape strong teams🔹 Why every person must understand how their work contributes to the mission🔹 How leaders earn trust by being consistent and walking the talk🔹 Why honest feedback is more valuable than simply being nice🔹 How leaders can create certainty in a world that can no longer be predicted🔹 Why fear of missing out can be more useful than fear of getting something wrong🔹 The opportunity technical professionals have to become tomorrow’s leadersOne lesson stood out to me:Whether you lead five people or 20,000, leadership still comes down to people. Do you have the right people? Do they understand why their work matters? What motivates them? And are you helping them succeed?Oliver also reminds us that we are not simply experiencing another wave of technology. It is more like the entire world is being moved onto a new operating system. For technical professionals willing to keep learning, move quickly and shape their own path, this creates an extraordinary opportunity.#Tech #Leadership #TVOL

🎙️In this episode, we welcome Joni Oksanen to Tech Voices on Leadership.Joni’s journey started with a strong passion for technology. Over time, new opportunities gave him more responsibility for people, teams and business.We talked about why being a great technical expert does not automatically make you a great leader. Leadership requires patience, trust and a real interest in helping people grow.Joni also shared some important lessons:🔷Take manageable risks and learn from your mistakes🔷Do not repeat the same mistakes🔷Keep goals simple and focused🔷Hiring good people is important, but supporting them afterwards is even more important🔷Do not move into leadership only for the title or salaryOne message stood out: You cannot configure people like technology. People are unpredictable, and that is what makes leadership both difficult and rewarding.

🎙️ What happens when two technical experts become leaders?For Episode 11 of Tech Voices on Leadership, we had 2 special guests Simon Robert and Dakota Seufert-Snow. Simon is President at Novbox, leading a successful business in Canada and United States, while Dakota is an experienced leader and podcaster, hosting The Bearded I.T. Dad. The session was recorded in Vegas in person at Cisco Live. Thank you Cisco Insider for the recording studio.We explored what it really takes to move from solving technical problems to leading people.One message stood out throughout the conversation:Leadership is about letting go.As technical professionals, we're used to fixing every problem ourselves. But becoming a leader means trusting others, delegating responsibility, and accepting that your success is measured by your team, not by how many problems you solve personally.We also talked about:🔷 Why hiring for attitude is often more important than hiring for technical skills.🔷How mistakes should become learning opportunities, not reasons for blame.🔷Building a culture where people feel safe to ask for help instead of struggling in silence.🔷Why being yourself is one of the most important leadership qualities.🔷The challenge of balancing work, family, and taking care of yourself as a leader.One quote that stayed with me was the reminder that you don't need to be the superhero anymore. Your job is to help your team become successful. It was an honest conversation full of practical leadership lessons that apply far beyond the IT industry.#tech #leadership #TVOL

What if becoming a better leader starts with understanding why people don't think like you do?In this episode of Tech Voices on Leadership, we welcomed our first guest, Zoë Rose, to share her journey from hiding in server rooms to leading large Security Operations teams.Zoë openly shares how childhood trauma, feeling different, and struggling to understand social expectations shaped both her career and her leadership style. What many colleagues perceived as being cold or uncaring was in reality someone trying to navigate a world of unwritten rules.Some of the topics we explored:🔹 Why feedback should be tailored to the individual receiving it🔹 How managers can unintentionally hold teams back by solving problems themselves🔹 Situational leadership and empowering people to surpass their leaders🔹 Self-leadership, impostor syndrome, and understanding what environments allow you to succeed🔹 The importance of grieving plans that never happened and giving yourself permission to adapt to a new reality🔹 Why comparing yourself to others is dangerous when you only see their highlights and not their strugglesOne quote that stayed with us:"You have to be in the right position for you."Leadership is not only about helping others grow.It is also about learning to understand yourself, communicating in ways others can receive, accepting your limitations, and realizing that sometimes a good role, a good company, or even a good manager simply may not be the right fit for you.#tech #leadership #TVOL

🎙️ What separates good professionals from the ones everyone remembers?In Episode 9 of Tech Voices on Leadership, we explore the concept of Extreme Ownership, inspired by the idea that leadership starts by taking responsibility, even when it would be easier to blame circumstances, processes, or other people.We discuss:🔹 The difference between being responsible and truly taking ownership 🔹 Why ownership cannot be assigned, as it comes from within 🔹 How great leaders focus on improving systems instead of finding someone to blame 🔹 The role of clear communication, expectations, and accountability 🔹 Why the people who consistently go the extra mile often get the most interesting opportunities and growthOne of the key takeaways from the conversation:👉 You can assign accountability, but you cannot assign ownership.Ownership is what happens when someone sees a problem and decides to solve it—even when it's not explicitly their responsibility. It's a mindset that can transform teams, careers, and organizations.

Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a month…and underestimate what they can achieve in a few years.In tech, leadership, fitness, relationships, or learning, the biggest transformations rarely happen overnight.They happen through small actions repeated consistently.✅A few pages read every day.✅A small lab after work.✅One honest conversation.✅One extra step toward discipline instead of comfort.The challenge is that compounding is invisible in the beginning.No instant gratification. No dramatic results. But over time?Those tiny actions become expertise, trust, confidence, health, and opportunities.In our newest episode, we discuss:✅ The compounding effect of habits✅ Why discipline matters more than motivation✅ Delayed gratification in learning and leadership✅How small daily actions shape long-term success

One of the biggest shifts from technical expert to leader is realizing that leadership is not only about expertise.It is also about emotions.In this episode of Tech Voices on Leadership, we discuss:✅ why great leaders pause before reacting,✅ how empathy builds trust✅ and why emotional intelligence often matters more than technical skill in difficult situations.One point stood out clearly:You cannot lead others well if you cannot lead yourself.Small habits like listening first, delaying emotional reactions, and understanding frustration instead of becoming defensive can completely change the outcome of conversations - with both teams and customers.Emotional intelligence is not about being soft.It is about being intentional.If you are leading people, building your career, or trying to create more influence in your organization - this episode is for you.

In this Tech Voices on Leadership episode, we explore one of the hidden skills of great leaders: networking.We dive into:✅ Why networking is not about collecting contacts - but building real relationships✅ How introverts and extroverts approach networking differently✅ Why trust and long-term relationships matter more than quantity✅ How networking inside your organization can be just as important as external networking✅ Why helping others without expecting something back often creates the biggest opportunitiesWe also share practical reflections from real leadership experiences:How do you create meaningful connections when time is limited?And how do you build a network that supports both your team and your own growth?If you are leading people, building your career, or trying to create more influence in your organization - this episode is for you.