Says Ran Senderovitz, VP, General Manager – Mobile Products Marketing at Intel Corporation, who emphasizes that “good management is a combination of humanity, technological courage and the ability to lead your employees, colleagues, and management” | Galit Shafir

September 2017

In 2010, “Texas Instruments” was in the middle of a strategy change process. The division in charge of broadband communication technologies on cable infrastructure was less significant to the company. In those days, the division launched a new product: First broadband communication on cable infrastructure, which enabled the quick transfer of video files. Ran Senderovitz, who held engineering management positions at the time, realized that the launch of the new product alone would not assist the division’s recovery. In a brave move, he approached the company’s board of directors and convinced it to sell the division or shut it down.

“The investment in the division decreased, and there was a need to change the rules of the game. When your back is against the wall, your senses are at their sharpest state, and you can be decisive.” This way explains Ran Senderovitz the move that changed his life. Intel purchased the cable modem division from “Texas Instruments,” and Senderovitz was appointed VP at Global Intel and General Manager of the development centers at Intel Israel. Intel Israel employs 7,000 workers who develop the next generation of the company’s processors and a line of advanced communication technologies. About a month earlier, he was promoted to General Manager – Mobile Product Marketing, Intel Client Compute Group at the Global Intel Corporation.

Creating a culture of innovation

Share your personal experience with us – what is the best way to run an organization?

“Good management is a combination of humanity, determination, creativity, the ability to execute changes, and risk management. In the modern age, a good manager needs to have technological courage, experience in solving problems and removing obstacles, and the ability to lead the employees, colleagues, and management.”

What is the difference between a junior manager and a senior manager?

“Junior management of small teams is characterized by hierarchical management, while the management work in senior management positions becomes managing influence among customers, employees, management, and suppliers.”

What is the right way to handle crises?

“Handling crises includes a cycle of denial, depression, and spotting opportunities to break out of the crisis. The good managers are those who can complete this cycle quickly.”

How do you implement your management insights at Intel?

“Today’s Intel is an Intel that builds on the success of personal computing and cloud computing to continue to innovate as a data and information company. At Intel Israel, we set two goals for ourselves: adapting Intel’s development centers to the information and artificial intelligence age, and creating a culture of innovation adapted to all the development communities at our company. My insight is that innovation is the key to winning in the competitive market and to bringing value to our consumers.”

We manage people

Who is your inspiration model?

“My inspiration is my two parents. From my father, who ran the family business of importing iron, I learned the basics of management: accomplishing goals and work ethics. My mother, who made a career switch from the drawing field to promoting youth, has always been an inspiration in her need for constant change.”

What is the best method for managing employees?

“We need to keep in mind that we are managing people and that a manager’s job is to increase the sense of the meaning of what you do. My perspective on that is clear: people, with almost no exceptions, love working towards big goals and being a part of world-changing processes, those which enable them to fully express their abilities.”

What are the mistakes other directors make?

“It is necessary to calculate risks properly. Organizations that will not take risks will fail, but organizations that will take too much risk will also fail. Another common mistake is that managers love to surround themselves with people who resemble them, who empower their feeling of technological and social righteousness. Managers who are not open to a variety of opinions are the ones who are more likely to make mistakes.”

Leveraging the diversity in the organization

Why do we see fewer women in management positions?

“Our society is masculine, suffering from unconscious blind spots. It is a result of social influences and the various education systems. The facts are that Intel has more female students in development jobs than the rate of technology graduates at the universities. However, fewer women reach management positions. On our end, we make efforts to assist the development of women’s careers. We prolong maternity leave by nine additional weeks, allow a gradual return to work, and have conversations between managers and their female employees to jointly remove the obstacles that harm their career development.”

What kind of employees are you looking for at Intel today?

“We are looking for employees from various disciplines and genders for many positions, including hardware and computers engineers, programmers, operations people, communications, artificial intelligence, and the cyber world. I believe that only an organization that knows how to leverage their diversity better will be able to achieve a competitive advantage.”