My Journey: 4 Leaders Discuss Life’s Lessons

On December 24th, 1983 (a date she will never forget), a young girl anxiously circled the family Christmas tree in her Prague home. She was hoping to find a new pair of skis that she was sure she would get because, “Everyone knew how badly I wanted them.” Not seeing them, she asked her father where her present was. “Here,” he said, as he handed her a small, flat package. She unwrapped it and immediately burst into tears. Her gift was a framed hand-written message from her father saying, “If you want, you can.” This experience would define Senta Cermakova’s personal philosophy and her future, “Later, I realized it was the most valuable gift I ever received.” Recently, almost 26 years later, I sat down to talk with her in her Prague office at Hewlett-Packard, where she is the Director Worldwide Technology Services & Industries Analyst and Press Relations.

Knowing I’m American, we move quickly to first names and “American style” ham sandwiches and Coca Cola are among the snack offerings. And, what begins to unfold is just how highly she regards cultural awareness and hospitality as tools to, in her words, “build trust, and establish a human connection with people from different parts of the world.” In a very animated display of eyebrows, smiles and nodding of her head in assent as I speak, I find myself sitting across from the most engaged listener I have ever interacted with. In fact, it goes beyond just extremely intent listening to a feeling of support—it’s as if she is enthusiastically listening me, and therein lies another insight: if there is a gene for enthusiasm—Senta has two. “I am a warrior in my career—I enjoy pushing myself and trying to be a game-changer. I realize that I am a little too enthusiastic at times and that I can move too quickly, especially as it relates to other cultures.” Senta goes on to explain that diplomacy (her word) is something she is working on—not just what to say, but when, to whom, and how to say it. “We Europeans are generally quite direct but Americans, for example, are not. There can be more layers, nuances and subtleties to a discussion with an American. This isn’t good or bad, it just is.” “What’s the lesson?” I ask. “Sometimes it’s more effective to be quiet, to listen, and to wait for the right moment before speaking.”

“Have you paid a price for success?” “Not only me but my husband and my two teenage children have. With global responsibilities I travel quite a bit and, at times, the requirements of my corporate role can override the immediate needs of my family.” She then tells me of being in Moscow and getting a call from her husband saying he had broken his ankle and asked her to come home to help with the children.

“I couldn’t do it. I was set to give a major address the following day and many people were counting me. We talked it through and arrived at a solution that allowed me to fulfill my corporate responsibility and to make sure my family was taken care of.” Senta cautions that there needs to be open communication for this to work. “As a family, we talk openly about the demands of my schedule and my responsibilities as a wife, a mother, and an executive. Our understanding of the needs of all our different roles and our expectations of each other, are very clear.” Watching her, I can tell that finding that balance for her is not always easy, but it is never far from her thinking.

Has she been lucky? Yes, it’s true that she graduated university with a degree in electrical engineering at a time (1991) when technology companies were popping up like mushrooms in Czechoslovakia and opportunities were plentiful, but so did many other people. So, what was different about Senta? “I don’t consider myself to be exceptional in any way, really, but I do take chances, I love change and I always try to be a game-changer or leave my mark in some way, on what I do.” She smiles, her eyebrows go up and she adds, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” This attitude and self-confidence was displayed when, in 2002, her employer, Compaq Computer, merged with Hewlett-Packard and she was told that her peer in Hewlett-Packard was a better choice for the position in the new company structure.

She was offered a six-month project as integration manager for the new entity—no promises about anything after that, just six months. “I knew nothing about what I was supposed to do! But, with my usual enthusiasm, I jumped in with the goal of being the best I could be.” What happened? She created her own version of an integration plan (there’s that game-changer thing again), which was so successful that it became the model for all the other offices in the region and she was awarded “Best Integration Office Manager in ISE Region”. Needless to say, her willingness to enthusiastically take a chance on the short-term project also gave her an opportunity to demonstrate her value, gain exposure to a wider audience of decision makers, and, you guessed it—change the game in a way that led to bigger opportunities, or as her father would say, “If you want, you can.”