Ideagen Radio
Ideagen Radio
Catalyze Impact Ep. 9 - The Future of Tech: Engineering Leadership with Sheri Hashemi
What does it take to lead at the cutting edge of engineering and technology? From a farm kid dismantling equipment to understanding how things work, to a leader shaping the future of aerospace innovation, Sheri Hashemi's journey exemplifies how curiosity drives technological advancement.
Our conversation explores the transformative potential of AI and machine learning, which Hashemi describes as creating an "internet plus" environment - not just access to information, but enhanced ability to utilize it effectively. Unlike previous technological revolutions, these tools are democratically accessible, allowing broader participation and contribution. "The more that we put into the system," she notes, "the more that we're going to end up getting out."
At the heart of Hashemi's leadership philosophy lies trust - giving teams "space and grace for their own learning" while connecting them to personal inspiration. This approach builds resilience through stability and consistency, especially critical in high-stakes engineering environments. Digital capabilities have fundamentally changed risk management in engineering, allowing teams to test boundaries more extensively in virtual environments before physical implementation.
Hashemi emphasizes that diversity of thought accelerates problem-solving, distinguishing between mentorship (providing guidance) and sponsorship (advocating when someone isn't in the room). Her call to action resonates beyond engineering: "Create more seats at the table. Create space, bring folks with different perspectives. It's how we're going to solve these challenging problems."
Looking forward, Hashemi sees power consumption, materials science, and space technology as frontiers for breakthrough innovation, where engineers will partner with visionaries to transform the impossible into reality. Listen now to gain insights into building resilient teams, managing technological change, and creating inclusive environments that foster groundbreaking innovation.
#Catalyzeimpact #ideagen
View Sheri's LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheri-hashemi/
Watch more episodes of The Catalyze Impact Podcast Series here: https://www.ideagenradio.com/
to the idea gen catalyzed impact podcast series. Today I'm thrilled to have a good friend and guest of idea gen, sherry hashemi. Sherry, thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thank you, daniel, happy to be here, happy to be here in person.
Speaker 1:I know, I know.
Speaker 2:Gorgeous day in DC.
Speaker 1:It's beautiful out and we appreciate you coming in as always, so we can dive right into the interview. You've had an impressive career in engineering leadership, kind of connecting those dots. Could you go into what inspired you to pursue that field of research and kind of follow that career path?
Speaker 2:You know it started when I was really young and just growing up on a farm, having hands on with equipment and things breaking and learning how to fix them or breaking them on purpose to see how they worked or taking things apart, and so it really started as a young kid and then just really growing a passion for aviation and the incredible influences and enhancements that those bring to people's lives, because, you know, wherever airplanes go, economies prosper.
Speaker 1:So it's been, you know, inspiring go, economies prosper.
Speaker 2:So it's been, you know, inspiring to keep going, especially for the value that it can add to society yeah, a natural problem solver.
Speaker 1:We'll call it um, that's, that's. That's awesome, great to hear, that's. Uh, I can just imagine you know you working on the farm back those days yeah maybe getting in a little trouble taking things apart.
Speaker 2:But not too much trouble there was always a smile or a laugh and then help putting it back together if I ever really struggled. So I had a lot of help from dad learning the right ways, so it was good.
Speaker 1:That's great, and so you're currently at the cutting edge of technology. What emerging technologies do you find most exciting right now? I know it's.
Speaker 2:There's a lot there is a lot, and I think you know one of the things that comes to people's minds the fastest is going to be the AI, the machine learning, and I think that that is really where we're on the cusp of making phenomenal things happen, especially with the computing power, especially with the abilities to make the enhancements and the progress faster from.
Speaker 2:You know some things some research might take, you know, years to be able to accomplish, but with the higher level of machine learning and algorithms and the dedication towards building and developing the tools for everyone, right, like anybody can get online and have. You know how many models are out there right now that people are learning from. I mean I think we've talked about you know two or three of the most common right now. I mean you use them, I use them. You know finding ways from. You know how to make, how to make time more effective and how to use it so that we can actually accomplish more. So I think you know that's probably the most exciting right now because we all get to be part of it, because it's all like with the machine learning. You know it's, it's taking the data and it's building and growing off of that.
Speaker 1:So the more that we put into the system, the more that we're going to end up getting out, and I think that's a really great part of it yeah, that is exciting and I've heard from the past we've had other guests come on compare it to like the dawn of the internet and how everyone was trying to figure it out in their own way, and now obviously it's you know everywhere. Would you agree with that assessment?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think in its own. I think in its own way. It is like getting internet for the first time and learning how to use it. I think that turns into its next thing, right? Because I think we're going to be internet plus as the foundation is having that. It is thing right, Because I think we're going to be internet plus, as the foundation is having that it is information right. We have access to information and the ability to use it.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think we were just talking about some of the more to me brevity, right, like how do I make this sentence shorter, how do I make this more compact? And being able to kind of help that and as you're feeding that into yourself and your development, I think that's where it comes into play yeah and like, I guess kind of like the internet, like shaped by the people, maybe a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly yeah. The. The influence from people where that might not have been, from you know thecom days of you know, here's a product, here's an end thing to now.
Speaker 1:It's evolving. It's constantly growing. Yeah, absolutely yeah. Well, it's exciting and you know, a core aspect of leadership is the ability to manage people. What strategies do you use to kind of build your high-end performing engineering teams?
Speaker 2:You know a big one is trust, giving people the space and grace for their own learning, and then also keying into what they find inspiring as well, too. That gives them the power of their why inspiring as well, too. That gives them the power of their why um. So, I think, building the trust amongst your, your, your key individuals and the team collectively, um, and then giving them the opportunity to come, seek help or, you know, ask for resources, and then being able to to back that because it comes back to resources.
Speaker 2:You know it's, you's, you know a blank piece of paper. You got to give them a piece of paper to start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and kind of going into that a little bit. It's different, kind of in the same mold here, building resilient teams. You know, I think the authenticity of the trust is important. But how do you kind of build those resilient teams, especially, you know, in your line of work that can be high stakes, challenging, you know, mentally very exhausting probably at some points. How do you kind of build that resilience?
Speaker 2:You know, I was actually just having a conversation about this this morning and you had to check in. You know, are you OK? Yeah have you had too many celsius's?
Speaker 1:today like have you eaten?
Speaker 2:um, I think resilience uh comes from the ability for folks to continue despite what's going on, and I think, um, as people, managers and as leaders, we have to build that strong foundation for them to stand on um, so that they have the means to continue and do their specialized jobs and actually push the boundaries of where we've been able to develop and make further advancements. And creating stability, I think, is our key piece for resilience as as people, leaders and sponsors for individuals out there, and I think think that's just stability, and stability doesn't have to be anything grand or major, it just could be little things and consistency. I think consistency is where you can create that stability of here's something I know that I'm gonna be able to come in and make an effort and it's gonna be celebrated and supported, and if I have to, you know, learn something or I need something, then that's okay too. So I think that's where resilience comes in for those teams and stability.
Speaker 1:I like that. Yeah, I like that kind of enabling people to, you know, perform and adapt that they need to be, but consistent that they'll always kind of have that support.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I know you know, being in DC there's a lot of flux and dynamics. Are you seeing something similar? Were those strategies? Are you saying here?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I think I think resilience is a big point right now in Washington and I do agree, I kind of think the teams and the organizations that are best set to achieve are the ones that are consistent and the ones that put the people first. It's difficult now, I think, to see that sometimes, but I think you know, and it's hard now, I think, to see that sometimes, but I think you know, and it's hard, it's hard right, the people have we were talking about earlier. You know different circumstances and different you know, uh, viewpoints and life's opinions and subjective nature of everything. But, um, I don't know, you know, I, I, I agree, I think the people that are going to last and the people that are staying are the ones that are able to to put the noise behind it, um, and kind of just focus on the problem at hand. Um, but you know, again, it is, it is different for everybody so yeah, um, how do you approach balancing risk and innovation and engineering projects?
Speaker 1:you know it's a great question with high stakes problems. There's risks involved and sometimes it may be easier to play it safe.
Speaker 2:But yep, um, I think when you're in an r&d environment, you're gonna there's value in learning from the unexpected. I think there's value in being able to push and we are now, with digital capabilities, able to do, I think, a lot more on the front end of our research and our development by using those tools, like going back to machine learning and having those continuous loops of feedback of you know, and that's just now more data yeah right, and so I think we're able to push the limits a little bit more and maybe a bit faster, because we have um, the digital environment where we can replicate where we might not otherwise have had that previously.
Speaker 2:so I think um using the tools is really where we're going to help manage the risk and having that level of quality and being able to keep pace Right.
Speaker 2:Because I think you know some of us. You know we've been seeing what's been going on and there's a lot of fatigue with how much change has been going on. I mean, you know you get you wake up one day and there's now another tool you gotta go learn, or there is another resource that you need to go figure out, and so I think being able to utilize those in an effective manner will end up helping with that risk management in there as well too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely it's. You know, you're right, there's so many things coming out now and it may be seemingly hard to master one. You're like well, you know, I'm like a jack of all trades here, I have to learn everything. But yeah, um, I I think that's interesting that you pointed out about pace and speed. That's obviously a risk sometimes of that, but balancing that with, yeah, the quality is key. Moving on to the next question yeah, we're talking about rapid change, and the engineering field is one that always experiences rapid change. How do you stay ahead of that change and the technological trends that may come in your field?
Speaker 2:A lot of reading and a lot of reading of history, actually. So I've had some really good books that have been recommended to me. Most recently, one of them was the Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel, which is the history of the development of the diesel engine. You know and where that foundation comes from, and I think there's so much value and benefit of studying history and understanding problems and how individuals have tackled those problems and approached those problems. I think that gives you an opportunity to go take different viewpoints and what people have already done.
Speaker 2:Because, again going back to data points, yeah, you know going back into that, that machine learning, that model of okay, here's a data point, here's a data point, okay, I've got these, now what's next? Or what hasn't been done? Or, oh, that was used, but what if we tweak, you know, this element or, um, you know, add in something that might not be traditionally used in that manner? And I think the reading and having conversations like this, you know, of being able to pull apart the ideas a little bit more and being able to dig in, I think is a key piece to stay ahead, because anticipating what the problems are going to be enable you to create solutions yeah, I really like that because I think that's kind of, in a way, what IdeaGen has tried to encapsulate.
Speaker 1:Like you said, the different viewpoints coming together, the problems may be different, but the mindsets and the solutions to solve them often intersect. So I really like that because I think that kind of encapsulates what we've believed that hey, while you may be in a different industry or you may do a different thing, your problems are actually probably more similar than you think and, like you said, like with the diesel engine, like how that they went about solving that issue, could probably be correlated to issues today. Yeah, absolutely so. You've been involved in initiatives supporting women in technology. What progress have you seen and what kind of challenges do you see still?
Speaker 2:in that field.
Speaker 2:I think seats at the table is key.
Speaker 2:Getting people the opportunity to experience, learn and grow.
Speaker 2:I think, giving individuals the opportunity to see that it is possible, I think that's key as well.
Speaker 2:You know, an idea gen has been phenomenal over the years. We've gotten the chance to work together and creating seats at the table, and I think just creating that space is probably the most pivotal, and it could just be having someone sit in a meeting and understand how certain things are operating, or involving someone in part of the problem solving to create the solution, because it's really about diversity of thought and how you're looking and viewing at problems and having different experiences sit at the table right, like you were just talking about the um, the cross industry, whether it be, you know, medical, legal, um, manufacturing, you know just all of those, those different intersects of where you can come together. And when you have someone with different experiences, I think you can get there a lot faster. And so having a spot at the table, having that seat at the table, is, I think, key. You know, I do see. You know I've seen an increase in seats available, which I think is great. I think there's still room to make a bigger table.
Speaker 2:And to add more seats. I think there's there's always room for that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, add another. Add another piece of the table there.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely the table there.
Speaker 1:You know, Absolutely, Absolutely, what role do mentorship and sponsorship play in advancing? You know, potentially underrepresented groups in STEM, or you know, like we said, you know it's about creating more seats at the table, but how do mentorship and sponsorship play a pivotal role in opening up those?
Speaker 2:seats. I think it helps individuals learn and understand how to operate in those environments. I think the mentorship and the sponsorship having people be an advocate to stand up and speak on behalf of somebody is really key because it goes back to that trust. It goes back to having trust and building trust within people. And I think you know mentorship having the ability to ask questions in a safe space where you might not have the experience.
Speaker 2:We were just talking about programming and I grew up on a farm and there was no computer programming where I grew up around, like it wasn't anything I was really exposed to. So when I had my first programming class it was very overwhelming because I was trying to figure out what it was and you know it wasn't extremely popular or well-known. And you know, having mentorship in those environments to be able to ask the questions and to be able to learn or get different perspectives or, you know, maybe cut out some of the struggle of learning for the first time and being able to have the mentor you know say oh, no, no, no, don't worry about you know ABC, because you know this D and F is coming right.
Speaker 2:So just hang in here for these, because on the other side you know as an, as an example. And then the sponsorship I think is very different from mentorship because that's where the advocacy, advocacy comes into play, I think is very different from mentorship because that's where the advocacy comes into play. And I think having advocates because mentorships you know very much the relationship between two people and the benefit and value that come from those exchanges the sponsorship and the advocacy come from someone who's in the room when you aren't there come from someone who's in the room when you aren't there.
Speaker 2:And having someone speak on your behalf, I think is really key so that when opportunities come, you know you have someone speaking or maybe creating an extra space at the table that might not otherwise exist.
Speaker 1:Yeah, having someone in your corner. I think it's interesting that you mentioned trust too, and that you know we've talked about trust from the employer's perspective. But it's also a two-way street, you know, sort of pathway to the table, like we talked about here. I mean, like you know, I would have to have trust in you to complete, you know what, whatever's necessary or what's in front of you. So, um, I just want to highlight that, how that's important and I think, um, that that dual-ended trust is really, I think, where things kind of happen.
Speaker 2:Do you agree, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Awesome. Well, it's crazy to think we're already at the last question. I could talk to you for hours, I think, but, as we mentioned, change is, I think, the key word of the day. Yes, absolutely it's inevitable and it's rapid. What do you see as the next big shift in engineering and technology? Kind of on that landscape.
Speaker 2:I think there's going to be a necessity drives efficiency, and I think we're saying, with engineering and technology right now, with the emphasis on machine learning, the power consumption and the materials necessary to make all of that happen. So I think that there's going to be a big push towards those elements. And then you know the unknown, unknown, unknown beyond right, like we're rapidly making our way there.
Speaker 2:So I think materials, I think power consumption, I think power sources will be key and you know, I'm here to speak at Satellite 25 and super excited for my CTO panel tomorrow about the future of space hardware and satellite hardware and I think that there is we're on the cusp of the unknown and the push, and I think it's the dreamers who will help us get there, the ones that can envision the unknown, and they are going to be the ones that are going to help push that landscape and help create it. And engineering, we're just going to follow right with them, being side to side and help create that and help the dreamers have the resources and the elements to actually accomplish the task at hand. So what do you think? What do you think is next?
Speaker 1:Well, I have no idea. You have a much better opinion than I do on this matter, I think you know. I think it goes back to kind of what we were talking about in terms of the internet and AI.
Speaker 1:I think, again, I have no idea what's next, but I think I do know that it's going to be shaped by, like you said, the people involved. Right, and, like the technology, I think, will evolve around the people, not so much as us evolving around the technology. I think there's an aspect of that that people are like oh you know, ai, how will it impact my job?
Speaker 2:or how will it?
Speaker 1:impact my everyday life, and it will, um. But I think a better question too is like how are you going to impact the ai right? Like how are you going to change it, um, to make it work for you? Um? So I I actually lied. I have one more question for you, um. You know, we like to end the interviews always with a call to action, so I would just ask what would be your final call to action?
Speaker 2:My final call to action is create more seats at the table. Create space, create seats, bring folks with different perspectives. It's how we're going to solve these challenging problems.
Speaker 1:That's great to hear. I agree with you 100%. I appreciate you for joining us, Sherry, as always A great friend of IdeaGen, and we look forward to seeing what's next for you. It's amazing work.
Speaker 2:Appreciate it. Thank you, daniel, thanks, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thanks, thanks, thanks Thanks.
Speaker 2:Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks Thanks.