Elevating Communication & Influencing Change
In this insightful interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Swapnil Pathare, Director of Product Software Architecture and Engineering at Equinix. Swapnil shares his experiences and lessons learned as he transitioned from an engineer to a leader, the impact of influential mentors, and his approach to fostering wellbeing within his team. Join us as we gain valuable insights from Swapnil's leadership journey at Equinix.
Reflecting on his hardest leadership lessons, Swapnil emphasizes the importance of elevating his communication style. He shares, "The learning for me was a change in my attitude on how I approach problems and ideas." Swapnil found the transition from engineer to leader relatively smooth, thanks to his curiosity and understanding of team-level responsibilities.
He shares, "When I was an individual contributor, I asked enough questions beyond work that was assigned to me, so I had the benefit of understanding that beyond team-level responsibilities, there could be reasons for change at a macro level. That could lead to pivots or adjustments based on our insights with customers or due to market behavior. It’s – in some sense – organized chaos. I have respect for my leaders who tried to reduce the noise and offer us continuity to the extent possible. That's one of the reasons I try to ‘cut the noise’ for others. I try to give more clarity on business decisions for my team members who can then strive to be the best engineers they can be."
Zooming In and Out
Swapnil recommends the podcast "Masters of Scale," which offers both technology and leadership insights. He shares, "There have been people from Facebook, Instagram and MasterClass. Many founders and leaders have participated and shared their guiding principles and processes."
Swapnil continues, "Josh Silverman from Etsy talked about how you cannot be a great leader unless you know when to zoom in and when to zoom out. I’ve always believed that there is no one recipe for a leader. I remember that I have to zoom in to identify the devil in the detail and zoom out to look at the big picture. I try to be grounded, empathetic with my team, and understand people; however, I should also be able to talk to executive leadership with the right level of detail."
How the Team Describes Swapnil
Swapnil humorously shares, "My team will say that Swapnil is passionate, ad hoc, results-driven, empathetic, and a person who talks too much work and too little fun." Swapnil's focus is on making a meaningful impact on engineering excellence and growing people's careers. He shares, "I hope my team members take away confidence from working with me knowing they became better selves and grew their skills. From the company's perspective, I hope I'm able to solve difficult problems for Equinix and make our platform strategy work better than expected."
When asked about his mentors, Swapnil states, "One of the best leaders I had was very passionate but her words were very gentle. You could sense the passion with her discipline in meetings, critical reviews of work and empathy to understand customer problems." Swapnil admires the emotional stability of his mentor, who demonstrated passion without resorting to argumentative or confrontational behavior. "Passion can be demonstrated in various different ways: being thorough and having plenty of information to make data based arguments rather than loud, empty, emotional arguments," he says.
Wellbeing: Balancing Work and Rest
Swapnil's definition of wellbeing revolves around finding a balance between work and rest. He shares, "Leaders know I'm a person who will do the work when it's required and will speak up when there is too much." He encourages his team to prioritize their independence and prove their work, fostering a culture of trust and freedom.
Swapnil's dedication to creating an environment where his team can thrive and his focus on solving difficult problems exemplify his leadership style. As he continues to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, Swapnil's insights serve as a valuable guide for leaders at Equinix and beyond. Stay tuned for our next installment of "Leaders at Equinix: Empower, Elevate, & Evolve."
I hope I'm able to solve difficult problems for Equinix and make our platform strategy work better than expected.