Cheri Beranek, CEO and President of Clearfield, Inc. on Her Role as a Technology Role Model
Guest blog entry written by Cheri Beranek, CEO and President, Clearfield, Inc.
Throughout my career, I have worked almost exclusively in the area of emerging technologies. I cannot imagine a more exciting 
sector in which to work. I also cannot imagine a more daunting, intellectually challenging area to spend one’s waking hours.
As President and CEO of Clearfield, Inc., a fiber management firm in the telecommunications networking industry, I am fortunate to be surrounded by brilliant technical minds. I have learned that to effectively manage and lead technical brilliance, especially if your skill set is not particularly technical, there are some general guidelines. Here are some of the rules that have helped me:
1) Do not be afraid to ask questions – I’m a marketing person not engineer at heart, and my kids are more tech savvy than I am. But with a graduate degree in communication, I’ve learned that asking GOOD questions is as important as having the answers. Not only does it challenge the technology gurus to think outside of the box and validate their positions, but is also allows us to better formulate the advantages of our products/services into the value proposition that resonates with our client community.
2) Trust your instincts – Good ideas, whether technical or not, resonate in the gut. Technology firms should be nimble and move quickly. That requires a culture that’s instinctive – trusting your gut, but verifying the variables to ensure appropriate risk/reward measures are in place.
3) Remember the soft side – people. Technology is still a people business and truly caring for the people who make the technology happen creates an environment that fosters creativity.
4) Get out of the way – This is often the hardest part. As a non-technical head of a technology company, my biggest contribution – and challenge, is to get out of the way. Let people do their thing. And, perhaps most importantly, remove the obstacles that get in people’s way.
The best rule, of course, is that no rule is absolute. Everyone – technical genius or not – manages or is managed differently. One rule that is an absolute for me, however, is: Companies are like communities – not families. Families do not choose each other. A business that operates like a small community – where every individual chooses to work because of the environment and infrastructure — will go on to do great things.
It’s working for Clearfield, anyway.
In 2007, Cheri Beranek was named President and CEO of Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLFD). Considered a visionary in the telecommunications networking industry, Beranek has lead the company to unprecedented international growth, new product development, and, for the first time in the company’s history, four years of increasing profitability.
