People-Centric Leadership in the Workplace
Gina Andersen is a Triangle-transplant, a UNC Chapel Hill graduate and the RTP Site Engagement Lead at Cisco. Gina shares how the Regional and Transforming Leaders programs inspired her to move from the nonprofit sector to leading with empathy in the private sector at Cisco. Gina is a 2013 and 2017 Leadership Triangle Goodmon Fellow as well as a Peer Coach.
“With the pandemic and remote/hybrid work, what we’re seeing is that a swanky office and cool swag and fun happy-hours and parties aren’t the things that really lead to employee engagement and employee satisfaction.”
Owen Jordan: Thank you for agreeing to meet, Gina! I’m excited to hear about your perspective on leadership in the private sector. Although, I see that you were in the nonprofit sector before your role at Cisco.
Gina Andersen: It’s my pleasure! Leadership Triangle actually played a big role in my transition from the nonprofit sector to the corporate sector. So this is a timely conversation to have.
Owen Jordan: Yeah, I think it’d be great if we started with a history of why you switched.
Gina Andersen: I came to North Carolina in 2009, moving to the Triangle to start grad school at UNC-Chapel Hill. With a degree in City and Regional Planning and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership, I began my career in the nonprofit sector. Initially, I managed Triangle Community Foundation’s scholarship programs, then moved into a Program Officer role that really allowed me to be embedded in the community. Because of these roles, I not only saw some of the region’s challenges firsthand, but also got to know who was doing good work and how philanthropy and the private sector could support our local nonprofit partners.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to go through the Transforming Leaders program with Leadership Triangle. At the time I was kind of “voluntold” that it was my turn to take part in the program. Serendipitously, it turned out to be exactly what I needed at that time.
I had been at the organization for about seven years. And although I loved the work I was doing, I was beginning to realize that I was borderline burned out and felt stuck in my career path. At the time, I just thought that was a normal part of being an adult. But because of Leadership Triangle, I realized, “no, this is my universe telling me that it’s time to make a change.” Going through the Transforming Leaders program really helped me figure out my values, where I wanted to go, and the environment that I wanted to be in. My peer coach was instrumental in helping me figure out what was next for me and how I wanted to get there. About 6 months after completing the program, I joined Cisco’s Community Relations Team, and I really attribute that leap from the nonprofit sector into the corporate world to my Leadership Triangle experience.
Owen Jordan: Why is leadership development important to your role at Cisco and to you personally?
Gina Andersen: My current role at Cisco is the RTP Site Engagement Lead. That means that I’m working to foster a sense of community within Cisco — among our 6,000 people who live here in RTP — and also, with the broader RTP community. I help build external relationships for our campus and ensure that we’re being good neighbors and developing a thriving Triangle region that we want to see.
In this role — leadership is everything. With the pandemic and remote/hybrid work, what we’re seeing is that a swanky office and cool swag and fun happy-hours and parties aren’t the things that really lead to employee engagement and employee satisfaction. I think what we’re truly seeing in action right now is the importance of high-quality leaders and high-quality managers. Those roles are having a significant impact on how our employees are feeling about their jobs and how connected they feel to their professional communities. As leaders and managers are being pulled in so many different directions with home and work and community and everything else — it’s imperative that we support those leaders and help them develop their leadership skills. Those skills are ultimately what will help us continue to be a good company and a place where people want to work.
Owen Jordan: What did you learn from the Leadership Triangle programs that have helped you to navigate leading a workplace in a pandemic?
Gina Andersen: One of the biggest takeaways that I learned through Leadership Triangle, both through the classroom and the coaching experience, is the importance of listening and the importance of empathy. Cisco has been moving to a people-centric approach to management, and right now, listening and empathy are two of the most critical leadership characteristics that will help us move forward in a remote, hybrid, and in-person workplace. People are juggling families, careers, isolation, and very different situations. In order to have a successful team and a successful workplace, it’s about really understanding where your colleagues are coming from. Because it’s a corporate value, our leaders are finding ways to truly embrace and understand our people so that we can ultimately help them bring their best to work every day.
Owen Jordan: I heard you mention wanting to give employees a sense of belonging. I’m curious, how do you and your team at Cisco help new employees and current employees feel like they belong?
Gina Andersen: There are a couple of pieces that we’re focusing on right now. Part of our sense of community comes from the top-down — it’s the empathetic and people-centric leadership that makes a difference. But we’re also focusing on a bottom-up approach through our employee resource organizations (known at Cisco as Inclusive Communities). With 6,000 employees, it’s easy to get lost. But by continuing to foster authentic inclusion through these affinity groups, it helps employees find their people and develop connections within the company and that really make a difference to our culture. Cisco’s purpose is to power an inclusive future for all. Developing our leaders and creating our culture of belonging is really important to fulfilling that purpose.
Owen Jordan: What’s your dream for the Triangle?
Gina Andersen: I want to see a place where everyone feels like they can thrive. I’d like to see a community where we can all find affordable places to live, fulfilling careers, protected natural areas, and accessible transportation. Being in the tech world, I’ve heard folks say that they want to see the Triangle be the next Silicon Valley. And while I love the prospect of bringing so many high-paying jobs and innovation to the area, I think we can do better. I hope that as the Triangle continues to grow, we will anticipate some of these challenges and put solutions in place ahead of time to be sure that it’s affordable, it’s accessible and is an inclusive place for all. The Triangle is already a great place to live, work, and play and if we do things the right way, that will only continue to get better.
