This summer, WashingtonExec is reaching out to successful leaders in government and government contracting to learn more about their habits, experiences and perspectives.
Wayne Lewandowski is senior vice president and general manager of North American Public Sector at HyTrust. Prior to this role, he lead the U.S. federal business as vice president of sales at Vormetric, where he grew the data security business by 15 times in less than four years. During his career, he has established a virtualization consulting company in the federal space, established a win rate that landed a company on the Washington Fast 50 list in 2010, and held roles at VMware, The SAS Institute and Computer Associates, among others.
WashingtonExec: What is on your summer reading list?
Lewandowski: I recently read “All In Startup.” As someone who has spent quite a bit of my career in smaller companies, I am always interested in new ways to challenge my view of growing and adding value to my organization. There are interesting takeaways in this book around how to socialize and get adoption for disruptive ideas before soliciting for capital. Further, being open to ideas that may change direction but are supported in compelling customer/markets requirements.
Next on my list is “The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever.” I am a big believer in understanding the emotional intelligence aspects of yourself, peers, clients and your team. Knowing what drives people and how to communicate is critical to driving your desired results.
WashingtonExec: Tell me about a time in your life when you had to really stretch yourself in order to learn and grow.
Lewandowski: I would say in a recent startup, we had contracted in our staff and it required me to wear a couple more hats than I expected. The workload didn’t change, nor the revenue objectives. I had to be concise in what was really important to drive to the desired outcomes. Time was my most precious asset, and I needed to be effective at prioritizing, assigning responsibilities, and communicating with an even higher level of accuracy.
WashingtonExec: If you could go back and give your younger self career and/or life advice, what would you say?
Lewandowski: I have thought of this many times as I look at my career and why I made the moves I did. I would say patience is one key element I would have coached the younger me. Knowing that investing in newer markets is labor and time intensive, you need to stay the course to reap the benefits.
Also, gaining a strong mentor. Too many organizations don’t invest in the development of their employees which is why you need to seek it out yourself. I have enjoyed paying it forward by mentoring several folks in the early stages of their career. Helping others develop and avoid key mistakes that I learned through my own experiences has been very gratifying.
WashingtonExec: What is your favorite city to visit? What do you enjoy doing there?
Lewandowski: I would have to say Heidelberg, Germany. There is a certain calm and old world charm there that I really like. I have found a couple restaurants that I really enjoy, including one that has exceptional local cuisine and has outside seating looking at the Old Bridge. Otherwise, walking the cobblestone streets and hiking in the region is quite relaxing.
WashingtonExec: Tell me about an app, device or type of technology you personally love and why.
Lewandowski: I stay disciplined in several areas of my day/day efforts, and one area is around calorie consumption. For this, I use MyFitnessPal. I have counted on this for probably close to seven years to tell me when I have had enough to eat that day! It’s easy to get sidetracked when travelling as much as I do, and this has helped me stay on course.
