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Cornelis Networks’ Lisa Spelman on Being CEO

November 18, 2024

Four months into her tenure as CEO of Cornelis Networks, Lisa Spelman sat down with TechArena to chat about leadership, how tech has changed, her vision for AI innovation, what’s on her playlist – and so much more.

A veteran of the data center and AI industry known for her deep technical expertise, Spelman brings over two decades of leadership experience from Intel to her new role. 

We learned that she has perfectionist leanings, favors action, values collective expertise, is a diligent Pelotoner – and a Swiftie.

Dive into our Q&A with Lisa to learn more about her fascinating journey in tech and where she plans to take Cornelis Networks:

1) Q: Lisa, you recently took the helm of Cornellis Networks as CEO. What’s it like to take the reins of a company?

A: It’s an honor, truly. Having a board of directors and a group of founders choose you as the person to help lead the company to the next phase of growth is an honor. I am really enjoying getting to know and work with such a smart and capable team. I also really like the variety: everything comes at you. In a day, you can be in an architecture discussion, setting a sales commission plan, deciding on a new parental leave policy, recording a podcast, and meeting with a potential investor.

2) Q: You've led a lot of senior teams in your time. When you're considering building team cohesion, is there anything you've found to be your secret to success?

A: I’m a big believer in individual accountability, but with a thread of mutual reliance for success. I have often set up teams of mine to need each other in order to succeed. Some people like to pull it all apart and have more of an “every person for themselves” set up. I like to get people to lean in a bit and have to care about each other’s joint success. I’m not sure there’s one perfect recipe, and I will say that cohesion does not mean always getting along or agreeing on everything.

3) Q: For those who are newer to senior leadership, what mistakes did you make in this regard that you'd wish someone had told you about?

A: Oh, I won’t say no one told me, but did I listen? I remember when I took on my first really big team. I was in IT and took a role leading a large, technical, global team. We had people in 50 countries! I so clearly remember the pressure I put on myself that I had to be the one with every answer. I thought, ‘What use am I to them if I get asked a question and I don’t have the best answer?’ Classic perfectionist behavior. I learned pretty quickly, though, that so much progress and scale comes from harnessing all of the incredible knowledge you have in your team. Your power becomes the collective of all of those experiences.

4) Q: You've spent your entire career in tech. What do you see about the 2024 tech era compared to when you entered this arena?

A: Oh my gosh, when I entered the arena 100 years ago? 😊 I will say that the pace of progress and change is astounding. But some of the fundamentals are the same. Tech and scientific discovery are all about what is just out of reach: I can see the idea, but I haven’t quite yet figured out how to get there. It’s what I love about engineering, and I say this all the time – what was impossible on Friday is possible by Monday… and even more elegant by Wednesday (as long as you don’t have too many meetings).

I also see that big ideas and innovation are coming from everywhere. Technology itself has democratized how accessible it is to bring an idea to fruition. Look at my company building an end-to-end network for scale out AI and HPC. We taped out our switch and our adapter ASICs with less than 50 HW engineers, high quality, full emulation. That’s astounding when you think about it.

5) Q: What does this mean in terms of your approach to leadership and engagement in the industry?

A: My leadership philosophy goes back to scale. Everything is moving too fast; you have to create systems of trust and rely on collective expertise to set the pace. By the way, relying on collective expertise is not the same as requiring consensus, that is slooooow and leads to excessive politics in an organization. As far as the industry, I see it as my role to spend about 50% of my time outside of the company. Whether that’s with customers, investors, recruiting, suppliers, potential partners, peers. It’s my job to stay on the pulse of the industry and use that knowledge to expand the worldview of the team.

6) Q: You are also a bit of a unicorn as a female CEO of a tech infrastructure company. What do you think is imperative for female leaders in this industry, and how do you think the tech sector has evolved in terms of equal opportunity for women?

A: That’s the goal right? A unicorn leading a unicorn. 😊 I think it’s imperative for all leaders to do deep work understanding their strengths and areas where they need support. Then use that knowledge as you build out the best possible team to compliment your skillsets, fill in any gaps and to challenge you. I tell all my teams that if they are sitting around the table agreeing with me, then I don’t really need them. I enjoy hearty debate. But I have to create space for that and make it part of the culture.

I think for women specifically, the likability tax is real. Study after study shows that both men and women hold women to different standards on how likable they should be as part of effective leadership. And it is a tax, it’s draining. Every leader has to think about how they show up, but I think that women and minorities carry an extra burden there. It takes energy to be extremely self-controlled or to wear a mask. 

7) Q: I need to work in AI here, but we aren't going to deep dive on tech. I really want to ask you about your view on the promise of AI and if you think our industry will deliver to the vision being touted?

A: I think we are just at the start of what’s possible. I know that AI can raise a lot of fears in people, and I know that it is being shoved in some places that just don’t make sense. Have you heard the one about using AI in drive throughs to recommend the right beverage? It’s hot out so recommend a diet coke instead of coffee. That’s not AI, it’s common sense! But despite that, despite the AI washing of everything, I really think we are heading into some amazing breakthroughs that will improve life for humans.

8) Q: What practices or habits do you rely on to keep your mind sharp and your energy up amid the demands of being a CEO?

A: Exercise, I love my Peloton. Walking and being outside.

9)  Q: What advice would you give your 23-year-old self?

A: Ok this is really cliché, but don’t worry so much about what other people think. Some people are going to think you’re great, others are going to find you less so. It’s fine. Focus on what interests and excites your brain, not what someone else thinks you should do. Also, keep taking risks. My move overseas, my move to IT, my move to a startup, these have all been risks and each one has turned out better than I could have imagined

10)  Q: What team(s) do you root for?

A: We went to the Blazer game on Sunday night, it was painful, not a good year. The Grizzlies have a fun player from Japan who’s only 5’8.” He’s an amazing ball handler and passer, the crowd was going crazy cheering for him and he was on the other team!

11)  Q: What is the book that you most recommend?

A: I read a lot for work, but I like to read for fun too. I think it’s good to have a lot of choices so you always have something that’s right for your mood. Have a book, a few magazines, newspapers. I have really enjoyed reading a bunch of Frederick Bachman’s books.

12)  Q: What’s at the top of your playlist? 

A: I like everything, truly. But I must say I am a Swiftie!

13)  Q: What superpower do you have that people don’t know about you?

A: I think I have a good ability to see everyone’s POV and the motivation behind it. It’s not so much acknowledging someone else’s point, which is just good listening and also valuable. But I think I do a pretty good job of getting to the why, and that helps me working with and leading people.

14) Q: Final question: At the end of your career, how do you want to leave your mark on those you lead and collaborate with?

A: We had a lot of fun while we did hard, cool stuff.

Four months into her tenure as CEO of Cornelis Networks, Lisa Spelman sat down with TechArena to chat about leadership, how tech has changed, her vision for AI innovation, what’s on her playlist – and so much more.

A veteran of the data center and AI industry known for her deep technical expertise, Spelman brings over two decades of leadership experience from Intel to her new role. 

We learned that she has perfectionist leanings, favors action, values collective expertise, is a diligent Pelotoner – and a Swiftie.

Dive into our Q&A with Lisa to learn more about her fascinating journey in tech and where she plans to take Cornelis Networks:

1) Q: Lisa, you recently took the helm of Cornellis Networks as CEO. What’s it like to take the reins of a company?

A: It’s an honor, truly. Having a board of directors and a group of founders choose you as the person to help lead the company to the next phase of growth is an honor. I am really enjoying getting to know and work with such a smart and capable team. I also really like the variety: everything comes at you. In a day, you can be in an architecture discussion, setting a sales commission plan, deciding on a new parental leave policy, recording a podcast, and meeting with a potential investor.

2) Q: You've led a lot of senior teams in your time. When you're considering building team cohesion, is there anything you've found to be your secret to success?

A: I’m a big believer in individual accountability, but with a thread of mutual reliance for success. I have often set up teams of mine to need each other in order to succeed. Some people like to pull it all apart and have more of an “every person for themselves” set up. I like to get people to lean in a bit and have to care about each other’s joint success. I’m not sure there’s one perfect recipe, and I will say that cohesion does not mean always getting along or agreeing on everything.

3) Q: For those who are newer to senior leadership, what mistakes did you make in this regard that you'd wish someone had told you about?

A: Oh, I won’t say no one told me, but did I listen? I remember when I took on my first really big team. I was in IT and took a role leading a large, technical, global team. We had people in 50 countries! I so clearly remember the pressure I put on myself that I had to be the one with every answer. I thought, ‘What use am I to them if I get asked a question and I don’t have the best answer?’ Classic perfectionist behavior. I learned pretty quickly, though, that so much progress and scale comes from harnessing all of the incredible knowledge you have in your team. Your power becomes the collective of all of those experiences.

4) Q: You've spent your entire career in tech. What do you see about the 2024 tech era compared to when you entered this arena?

A: Oh my gosh, when I entered the arena 100 years ago? 😊 I will say that the pace of progress and change is astounding. But some of the fundamentals are the same. Tech and scientific discovery are all about what is just out of reach: I can see the idea, but I haven’t quite yet figured out how to get there. It’s what I love about engineering, and I say this all the time – what was impossible on Friday is possible by Monday… and even more elegant by Wednesday (as long as you don’t have too many meetings).

I also see that big ideas and innovation are coming from everywhere. Technology itself has democratized how accessible it is to bring an idea to fruition. Look at my company building an end-to-end network for scale out AI and HPC. We taped out our switch and our adapter ASICs with less than 50 HW engineers, high quality, full emulation. That’s astounding when you think about it.

5) Q: What does this mean in terms of your approach to leadership and engagement in the industry?

A: My leadership philosophy goes back to scale. Everything is moving too fast; you have to create systems of trust and rely on collective expertise to set the pace. By the way, relying on collective expertise is not the same as requiring consensus, that is slooooow and leads to excessive politics in an organization. As far as the industry, I see it as my role to spend about 50% of my time outside of the company. Whether that’s with customers, investors, recruiting, suppliers, potential partners, peers. It’s my job to stay on the pulse of the industry and use that knowledge to expand the worldview of the team.

6) Q: You are also a bit of a unicorn as a female CEO of a tech infrastructure company. What do you think is imperative for female leaders in this industry, and how do you think the tech sector has evolved in terms of equal opportunity for women?

A: That’s the goal right? A unicorn leading a unicorn. 😊 I think it’s imperative for all leaders to do deep work understanding their strengths and areas where they need support. Then use that knowledge as you build out the best possible team to compliment your skillsets, fill in any gaps and to challenge you. I tell all my teams that if they are sitting around the table agreeing with me, then I don’t really need them. I enjoy hearty debate. But I have to create space for that and make it part of the culture.

I think for women specifically, the likability tax is real. Study after study shows that both men and women hold women to different standards on how likable they should be as part of effective leadership. And it is a tax, it’s draining. Every leader has to think about how they show up, but I think that women and minorities carry an extra burden there. It takes energy to be extremely self-controlled or to wear a mask. 

7) Q: I need to work in AI here, but we aren't going to deep dive on tech. I really want to ask you about your view on the promise of AI and if you think our industry will deliver to the vision being touted?

A: I think we are just at the start of what’s possible. I know that AI can raise a lot of fears in people, and I know that it is being shoved in some places that just don’t make sense. Have you heard the one about using AI in drive throughs to recommend the right beverage? It’s hot out so recommend a diet coke instead of coffee. That’s not AI, it’s common sense! But despite that, despite the AI washing of everything, I really think we are heading into some amazing breakthroughs that will improve life for humans.

8) Q: What practices or habits do you rely on to keep your mind sharp and your energy up amid the demands of being a CEO?

A: Exercise, I love my Peloton. Walking and being outside.

9)  Q: What advice would you give your 23-year-old self?

A: Ok this is really cliché, but don’t worry so much about what other people think. Some people are going to think you’re great, others are going to find you less so. It’s fine. Focus on what interests and excites your brain, not what someone else thinks you should do. Also, keep taking risks. My move overseas, my move to IT, my move to a startup, these have all been risks and each one has turned out better than I could have imagined

10)  Q: What team(s) do you root for?

A: We went to the Blazer game on Sunday night, it was painful, not a good year. The Grizzlies have a fun player from Japan who’s only 5’8.” He’s an amazing ball handler and passer, the crowd was going crazy cheering for him and he was on the other team!

11)  Q: What is the book that you most recommend?

A: I read a lot for work, but I like to read for fun too. I think it’s good to have a lot of choices so you always have something that’s right for your mood. Have a book, a few magazines, newspapers. I have really enjoyed reading a bunch of Frederick Bachman’s books.

12)  Q: What’s at the top of your playlist? 

A: I like everything, truly. But I must say I am a Swiftie!

13)  Q: What superpower do you have that people don’t know about you?

A: I think I have a good ability to see everyone’s POV and the motivation behind it. It’s not so much acknowledging someone else’s point, which is just good listening and also valuable. But I think I do a pretty good job of getting to the why, and that helps me working with and leading people.

14) Q: Final question: At the end of your career, how do you want to leave your mark on those you lead and collaborate with?

A: We had a lot of fun while we did hard, cool stuff.

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