The No. 1 Quality That Makes a Strong Manager, According to an SVP

Senior Vice President of Small Business, Faiza Hughell, has been at RingCentral for nearly a decade, but she’s proud to say she’s still learning something new everyday. 

“You have to strive to be the best by learning from the best,” she said. 

Whether she’s getting inspiration from her team, a mentee or a new project within the company’s corporate responsibility program, Hughell has no lack of learning moments at RingCentral. She’s been promoted five times, tackling each career move by looking at them as lessons instead of challenges. 

RingCentral is Hiring! Browse Opportunities. 

How does this self-proclaimed “learning fanatic” channel her lessons into career improvements, how does she manage her team to drive promotable results and how can you start to build a career like hers? Keep reading to find out. 

How long have you been in your current role, and what were you doing previously? 

I was promoted to SVP of Small Business in July. Prior to that, I held several positions, including Vice President of Sales, Regional Vice President of Direct Sales, Senior Director of Inside Sales and Director of Sales. I was originally hired in 2010 as a Senior Manager and have had the privilege to lead new teams, broaden my scope and take on new challenges every year since joining.

What’s the first or last thing you do at work every day? 

Every morning, the first thing I do is call my key leaders to align on the day ahead and ensure I am making myself available to remove any obstacles. 

What’s the most unique or interesting aspect of your company? 

The most interesting aspect of RingCentral is that we are a growth company focused on empowering the growth of our customers and employees. We rise through their success.

What’s something you’re especially good at at work? 

I take a lot of pride in mentoring employees across different departments. In my nine years at RingCentral, I have found that I learn as much as I teach during these mentoring opportunities. The success of the individuals I mentor inspires me and reminds me to continue to challenge myself. 

What about outside of work? 

Outside of work, I am passionate about volunteering and raising awareness for charities and causes that make an impact on our community, customers and employees. I am thrilled to share that RingCentral recently launched a corporate responsibility webpage and formalized nonprofit pricing to further strengthen our impact.

What are you trying to improve on? 

As a tenured employee, I am always trying to keep apprised of new go-to-market strategies, technologies and ideas, to ensure I am staying relevant and keeping our teams positioned to win. You have to strive to be the best by learning from the best. It is so easy to get comfortable when you have been with a company for a long time.

What’s the one career move you’ve made that you’re most proud of? 

I am proud of every career move I have made, but I think the reason each move has worked out is that I’m a learning fanatic! When you take each new challenge as an opportunity to learn, you’re already on the path to success.  

What do you love most about your job or your company? 

My favorite part of my job is the time I spend with my teams. It’s incredibly inspiring when you see their growth, ideas and collaboration drive results. I love seeing that lightbulb go off when someone makes a big connection and starts to realize their true potential. 

What’s your no. 1 piece of advice for women who are looking for jobs right now? 

Be willing to take chances and remember to be bold. Challenge the status quo.

Who’s the most influential person in your life and why? 

I have had the privilege of working for so many inspiring leaders that it’s hard to mention just one. Take RingCentral’s Chief Operating Officer Dave Sipes, for example. Dave’s ability to make decisions and quickly drive results is unparalleled. He is concise and focused on results to drive our future growth. His approach has empowered me to think disruptively and make better decisions for our customers and employees. 

What’s the most memorable piece of career advice you’ve received? 

Always be present. When you are at home, be there 100%. And the same thing is true for when you are at work: be there completely. When you are really present, you‘re focused. That focus will make you more successful. Eight years ago, I was talking to my boss at the time about wanting to have a child and not being sure how to balance working and being a great parent. What he said blew my mind: “If you build a strong foundation at home, you can make it work. But when you are there, be there completely.” He said you can have it all — and he was right!

What was the best quality of the best boss you’ve ever had? 

I believe the best quality a boss can have is trust. I worked for my previous leader for 16 years at two companies. He always trusted us to make decisions and to learn from both success and failure. This created a culture that empowered us. As a result, we created some of the best processes. Trust your people, trust your decisions and trust the process. 

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