Meet Yuko Aoyagi
Welcome back to "Leaders at Equinix: Empower, Elevate, and Evolve.”
In this series, we’re exploring the secret sauce that makes our leaders at Equinix the best of the best. Join us as we dive deep into their career journeys and discover more about what it means to embody the magic of Equinix.
We joined Yuko Aoyagi, Vice President of Product Finance, for a candid discussion on building high-performing teams and the qualities that make for an impactful mentor. If there’s one thing that we took away from our conversation with Yuko, it’s that courage is essential when taking on a position of leadership. Let’s learn more about Yuko!
When it comes to the hardest leadership lesson Yuko’s learned during her career, it all comes down to adapting her team-building strategy for the current environment. “If you’re striving to build a high performing team, you have to cater to the situation that you’re in. I’m still learning, but that’s one of the hard things,” says Yuko. “If you don’t build a team that is super high performing, that impacts people’s future.”
An important part of building high-performing teams is to be an example for your colleagues. “Cross-training is crucial to building high performing teams, as well as setting expectations. You have to lead and show what ‘good’ looks like. Cultivate an environment of asking, ‘Why?’ You can’t know everything, particularly in a finance role, but you can anticipate better if you’re strategic in planning.”
Inspiration & Courage
We asked Yuko to give us a glimpse at media she finds inspirational. At Equinix, we’re passionate about growth and development, so we’re always on the lookout for ways to expand our skills and knowledge. “I love watching TED Talks. Fifteen years ago, one of my employees sent me Derrick Sivers’ “How to Start a Movement” TED Talk. He shows a video of someone suddenly starting to dance in the middle of a park totally alone, but after a while, other people start to follow. My teammate said, ‘This is you.’ That gave me courage to lead even more,” says Yuko. She also states the importance of leadership courses and how it can transform the way you approach leading a team. “I also took a six-month leadership course to lead and facilitate classes. I learned a lot on how to lead and listen. Never settle with mediocrity.”
While chatting with Yuko, it’s clear that courage is something she highly values. “The main lesson I learned from my mentors is courage,” she says. “People think courage means you’re doing things because you’re comfortable or confident, but people who have courage also have fear. They’re scared to do something, but they do it anyway. I strive to lead with courage. In a leadership position, you’re always faced with having to make decisions. You must focus on doing the right thing. Doing the right thing is sometimes not easy, but oftentimes, courage helps you do it.”
The Importance
of Humanity & Diversity
Yuko’s career journey was filled with mentors that taught her this important quality, and she emphasizes how their guidance impacted her life. “I was lucky to have many mentors to help me to get here. When I started my career, I didn’t speak much English. My mentors took a chance on me. They were respectful, caring, and humble. They taught me to be respectful, caring, and humble."
But how would Yuko’s team describe her? “When you’re leading a smaller team, it’s so critical to hire people who are not like you. If you’re similar to someone, it might be easier, but it’s not going to create the right decision. Professionally as a leader, I want to be remembered as a person who lead a team that made a significant impact with a positive outlook. I want our team to make a name of that.”
"It's all about human connections"
Yuko’s goals for the future are not strictly professional. While she has high hopes for her team’s legacy at Equinix, she also wants to be remembered for the way she approaches relationships on a human level. “As a person, I want to be remembered as somebody who can be a long-term friend. When you’re moving a team so fast, things change. What I cherish the most is when a person from twenty years ago calls me and asks for a school reference or sends me a wedding invitation or pictures of their kids. At the end of the day, it’s all about human connections.”
It's clear that Yuko’s passion for her team is rooted in her desire to see them excel. She ends on a note that truly embodies her passion for leading and taking her employees to new heights. “The professional part matters as a leader,” continues Yuko, “but for me, if I can help my team to grow, that means more to me than anything else.”