Ryan Fay is the Co-Founder, Chief Product & Strategy Officer of Edgevana Inc. and plays a crucial role in shaping the company's direction and strategy while overseeing key areas such as investor relations and product. He has been praised for his innovative ideas, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to the company's mission.
Previously, he served as the global head of high-tech and global enterprises at Gartner, as an advisor for Control Panel Corporation, served as columnist and CIO advisor at CIO Online, and as the Global Chief Information Officer for ACI Specialty Benefits. Our podcast partner, Dr. Rebecca Wynn, has an enlightening discussion as part of the Soulful CXO Podcast with Ryan, about effective leadership approaches, partnerships, and bridging gaps.
You can watch the full episode below, which covers the following:
- How to talk to executive leadership
- Missteps along the way and valuable lessons
- Reshaping the leadership team and getting the most from your talent
Ryan Fay learned early on that he enjoyed technology and people, which led him to information technology. He soon discovered that he was strong at articulating why they were making the technology decisions to leadership, which fast-tracked advancements in his career.
Conversing with Leadership
As Dr. Wynn noted that she joined Toastmasters to better prepare herself for speaking in front of the Board, Fay had no formal training. He shared that he was fortunate to have strong leaders who coached him on where to focus his discussions. By exposing himself to different people and business cultures, he could draw an understanding of what people were passionate about. That understanding allowed him to position his discussions in a way that would engage those he was speaking to and build credibility. For example, he may have gone too deep into a discussion, and he had to learn not to go so deep on some topics because he wouldn’t know how much insight someone had when speaking to them. The goal would be to not make them feel like they're not part of the conversation but also to make sure they understand the nuances of what’s being done. He shared that it was a lot of trial and error and many failures. It took him most of a decade to feel comfortable speaking to executives, and he focused on being part of the conversation versus just having a conversation.
Missteps and Lessons Along the Way
Fay shared that early on, he was focused on the “best” way to do something and how it would be most efficient, but what he learned over time was that it was more critical to look at the business outcomes. He needed to understand the user and customer experience. So, he formed fusion teams with different business users, offering better buy-in; ultimately that created champions within the organization who could speak to the benefits and positive outcomes to the broader organization.
He also noted a need for more understanding of the sales process early on. Once he began partnering with the sales folks and getting involved in those conversations earlier and more often, he could articulate what they could do at that point versus salespeople selling products that weren’t ready. He had found that they were often trying to promise something they didn't have, and it came down to educating them. Many folks didn't know precisely what they had because they were spinning out so many different updates all the time, and it wasn’t easy to know what was in production and what was being worked on at the time. Joining the client meetings allowed him to provide more insights and ultimately support the sales teams and customers for better outcomes.
Leadership Style and Getting Talent Right
Dr. Wynn and Fay discussed the changes in the business environment. “Flexibility” is something Fay repeatedly echoes throughout the discussion. It’s clear that he has a very flexible leadership style both in managing/leading his teams and as it relates to bringing in talent. He is focused on having a complimentary leadership approach to his teams, making sure to surround himself with people to fill in the gaps. And he notes there are many gaps.
When bringing in talent, he allows his skill to lead with what they are best at versus trying to point them into what he may want/need. He reiterates that a flexible approach to what they’re doing versus a stern approach, because frequently the stern set rules don't work in the environment today, is what helps to attract and retain talent. One of the ways he has found is it is better is to encourage the team, to shift away from individual leadership approaches and to have a complimentary leadership team. This means better intentional partnerships between the leaders, sharing different leadership responsibilities.
The discussion between Dr. Wynn and Fay offers valuable insights into how to structure leadership to create a successful team. In addition, Fay provides multiple tips on what has, and has yet to work, for him.
Ryan Fay Podcast:
